FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The penalty phase for the man who admitted to killing a Hollywood police officer in 2021 continues Monday.

The defense for Jason Banegas is expected to deliver its case as Banegas faces the possibility of the death penalty.

Banegas pleaded guilty to fatally shooting Officer Yandy Chirino, 28, on Oct. 17, 2021, as Chirino responded to a call about a suspicious person in the 4000 block of North Hills Drive checking for unlocked cars.

“Moments that were once full of joy — birthdays, holidays, even simple family dinners — now come with a heaviness that overshadows everything,” a letter written by Chirino’s sister, which was read in court last week, stated.

Banegas was only 18 years old at the time of the shooting.

He’s already pled guilty, but now the jury will decide whether he gets the death penalty.

On Friday, Chirino’s mother, father and sister were too overcome with emotion to speak in court, so their letters were read aloud.

“My brother, my little angel, was one of the most generous and kind-hearted people I have ever known,” the letter from his sister read. “He had an ability to see the best in everyone.”

Chirino’s sister described a young officer who tried to “live a great story,” and a loss so deep, she says, it still feels unreal.

“What happened to my brother did not just end his life -- it fractured ours,” she wrote.

The court also heard from Chirino’s girlfriend of two years, Chelsey Howell, who opened up about the trauma she’s carried since that night.

“The emotional trauma of the night of October 17th is something that will play in my mind for the rest of my life,” she said.

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