In a Florida courtroom, Carlos Yordanis Aldana, a Cuban national, was sentenced to 50 years in prison for the brutal murder of his girlfriend, 30-year-old Yannelis de la Caridad Casales. The tragic incident occurred in March 2025 in Jacksonville, located in the northern part of the state.
The ruling was handed down by a Duval County judge on January 30, nearly a year after the horrific event that devastated a family and shocked the Cuban community both in Florida and on the island.
Journalist Daniel Benítez reported the news on Wednesday, sharing the court document that detailed the conviction.
At the time of the murder, Aldana, aged 38, had been in the United States for less than two weeks, having recently arrived from Cuba where, according to the victim's family, he had served a three-year prison sentence for an undisclosed crime.
After the murder, it was revealed that Aldana was living in the U.S. and had traveled to Cuba for a vacation, during which he was detained due to a pending legal matter.
The couple had met in Cuba. While Aldana was incarcerated, Yannelis emigrated to the United States via the southern border, hoping to reunite and build a future with him.
On March 16, 2025, a family video captured the emotional reunion when Yannelis welcomed her boyfriend at a Florida airport.
“You are the dream I always prayed for. Welcome home,” she posted on Facebook, alongside images of their heartfelt meeting.
Tragically, less than two weeks later, in the early hours of March 30, their story ended in disaster. Aldana fatally stabbed Yannelis 15 times in the bedroom of their shared apartment in a residential complex in Arlington, Jacksonville, Duval County.
When police arrived at the scene, they found Aldana with knife wounds on his left hand and leg. He received medical attention from paramedics and was then taken to a hospital. Following his discharge, he was incarcerated in Duval County Jail.
During that fateful night, officers traced a trail of blood leading to Yannelis’s lifeless body, which bore numerous stab wounds.
The Cuban community in Florida, along with friends and family, rallied together to raise funds through a GoFundMe campaign, allowing Yannelis's remains to be returned to her hometown of Santiago de Cuba. There, her parents, brother, and other relatives were able to bid her a final farewell.
Impact and Aftermath of the Tragic Incident in Florida
How did the Cuban community respond to the tragedy?
The Cuban community in Florida showed solidarity by raising funds through a GoFundMe campaign to repatriate Yannelis's body to Cuba, allowing her family to hold a proper funeral.
What legal actions were taken against Carlos Yordanis Aldana?
Carlos Yordanis Aldana was sentenced to 50 years in prison by a Duval County judge for the murder of Yannelis de la Caridad Casales.
What happened during the investigation of the murder?
Police followed a blood trail leading to Yannelis’s body, and Aldana was found with self-inflicted knife wounds; he was treated at a hospital before being jailed.