MIAMI – The murder conviction and death sentence imposed on a South Florida mother for the killing of her young son, known as "Baby Lollipops," have been thrown out by the state Supreme Court.
The justices ruled Thursday that prosecutors made improper and inflammatory statements during the murder trial of Ana Maria Cardona.
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In the ruling, the Supreme Court decided that a new trial is necessary because of the prosecutor's "numerous improper closing arguments" that "repeatedly crossed the line."
Cardona was sentenced to death in 2011 for the 1990 killing of Lazaro Figueroa, who was wearing a T-shirt with a lollipop image when the 3-year-old was found dead in Miami Beach. He had been badly beaten and weighed just 18 pounds.
As Miami Beach police sought to identify the boy, the investigation was dubbed as the "Baby Lollipops" case.
Cardona was initially convicted and sentenced to die in 1992. The Supreme Court overturned the conviction because prosecutors failed to disclose key evidence to the defense.
The Supreme Court ruled that the prosecutor during Cardona's most recent trial repeatedly referenced "justice for Lazaro" -- stating that the "only verdict" was a verdict of first-degree murder -- and "impermissibly denigrated Cardona herself."
All but one justice concurred with the decision to vacate Cardona's conviction and death sentence.
The court's decision means Cardona is likely to face a third murder trial.
"While we are saddened by today's Florida Supreme Court decision in the Ana Cardona murder case, we are prepared to retry this homicide," Miami-Dade County state attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in a statement. "The cruelty involved in young Lazaro Figueroa's murder deserves our fundamental commitment."