The story of Isabel Acosta is marked by a profound contradiction: the sorrow for her murdered daughter and the unwavering love for her grandson, who confessed to committing the crime.
After Derek Rosa pled guilty to killing his mother, Irina García, the family has been grappling not only with a legal verdict but also with an emotional turmoil that defies easy solutions.
In her first public statements following the plea deal with prosecutors, shared with journalist Gloria Ordaz for Telemundo 51, the maternal grandmother of the adolescent has made remarks that have left many in shock.
"I gave birth to her. She is my daughter, but I raised him. They are two different kinds of love," she expressed, illustrating the coexistence of two relationships that she neither can nor wishes to compare.
Isabel refrains from framing her experience in terms of forgiveness or punishment. Instead, she speaks about emotions that, she claims, cannot be quantified in similar terms.
Her testimony reveals the intimate conflict of a mother who lost her daughter but is unwilling to abandon the grandson now serving a 25-year prison sentence.
The case shook South Florida in October 2023, when Derek, then 13, called 911 and confessed to stabbing his mother with a kitchen knife in their Hialeah apartment.
Two years later, just before the trial was set to begin, the teenager pled guilty as part of a deal with prosecutors: 25 years in prison followed by 20 years of parole.
He is currently incarcerated at the Suwannee Correctional Institution, a state prison in Florida.
Beyond the legal proceedings, his grandmother's words highlight a deeply personal and heartbreaking conflict.
"I will support him until my last day," she declares.
Isabel continues to refer to Derek as an "angel," repeatedly calling him "My angel forever," as if this belief is her only solace amid the tragedy.
When asked if she forgives him for what he did to her daughter, she doesn't answer in legal or moral terms; she speaks of love.
"I love her. She is my youngest daughter, my spoiled daughter... but the boy, you know, it touches your heart when you're older. I can't even explain it," she notes.
She acknowledges the core of her inner turmoil: "The balance always tips towards the boy."
Every day, she says, she lives with both absences.
"I live day by day with her. I tell her I love her very much, that she is always in my heart. I talk to her," but she also admits, "I go to sleep and wake up thinking of him, wondering what he is doing."
Her love for Derek, she asserts, "breaks through all barriers," even after he confessed to the crime.
"He is my life. He is my grandson, as if he were my son, and I cannot change that. Let anyone who wants to criticize me do so," she insists, saying she doesn't care about others' opinions: "You have to feel what I feel."
She confesses that she doesn't know where she finds the strength to endure this duality. "I don't know if it's compassion, pity, but it's something that overwhelms me. I can't."
Remarkably, she has never asked him why he did it, and she says she doesn't want to know for now. "I don't want to know. Maybe someday, but not at the moment. I don't know the reasons, I just don't."
She also remains vague about whether the sentence was fair; when asked whether justice was served for Irina, she replies, "I can't contradict myself."
Regarding the plea deal that averted a trial, she notes that it was an agreement between the lawyers and Derek, which she respects.
Amid the public controversy surrounding the case—including revelations that Derek was diagnosed with autism and attention deficit disorder—the family maintains that they never saw any signs foreshadowing such a tragedy.
The boy's father, José Rosa, attended every court hearing and has expressed his inability to comprehend how such an event could occur.
As Derek begins his life within the prison system, his grandmother holds firm to an unbreakable promise.
"I love him with all my heart, and wherever he is, may he behave well, because I will always support him, as will his family," she added.
She concludes with a phrase that encapsulates her stance towards the world and herself: "I only know that he is in that place and that I will always be there for him."
In that apartment where a portrait of her grandson dressed in white and the ashes of her murdered daughter coexist, Isabel Acosta lives with a contradiction she does not seek to resolve.
Amid the sentencing and the mourning, she has chosen not to inquire, judge, or abandon.
Understanding the Emotional Impact and Legal Aspects of Derek Rosa's Case
What was the outcome of Derek Rosa's plea deal?
Derek Rosa pled guilty as part of a plea deal with prosecutors, resulting in a sentence of 25 years in prison followed by 20 years of parole.
How does Isabel Acosta feel about her grandson Derek Rosa?
Despite the circumstances, Isabel Acosta maintains a deep love for her grandson Derek, expressing her unwavering support and referring to him affectionately as her "angel forever."
Has Isabel Acosta asked Derek why he committed the crime?
Isabel Acosta has never asked Derek why he committed the crime, stating that she doesn't want to know the reasons at this time.
What impact did the case have on South Florida?
The case deeply shocked the South Florida community in October 2023, as it involved a young teenager confessing to the murder of his mother, creating a public controversy and intense emotional reactions.