Man Charged In Murder Of Coral Gables Jogger Pleads Guilty
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CORAL GABLES (CBSMiami) – A man, currently serving a life sentence in Palm Beach, pleaded guilty to his involvement in two murders Monday.
Oniel Pedley, 27, was sentenced to 40 years behind bars Monday after pleading guilty to his involvement in two murders—avoiding the death penalty.
"I asked your lawyers how this could have possibly happened, how a young man who graduated high school, had gone to orientation at Miami Dade and was keeping two jobs at the same time…what happened?" said Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Ellen Sue Venzer.
Pedley responded, "I was blinded by greed and was motivated to do what I thought was right. It wasn't. I was just wrongly-influenced and I thought it was the best thing," Pedley said.
Among the crimes Pedley and Kendrick Silver, the accused shooter, are accused of committing is the murder of 39-year-old Jose Marchese-Berrios, who was on a late-night jog in May of 2007.
Berrios staggered home to his second-floor apartment and managed to tell his wife he had been shot before collapsing.
Miami-Dade police detectives, at the time of the crime, were able to track down Pedley and Silver by way of a stolen cell phone.
Pedley and Silver were arrested in June 2007 in Delray Beach after allegedly storming a pizzeria, shooting and wounding three people.
In court, a woman who only identified herself as Pedley's friend, cried in court. She came to Pedley's defense after the sentencing.
"He's not a cold-blooded killer," she said.
Pedley, who is currently serving a life sentence for a robbery in Palm Beach County is expected to testify against Silver, his former friend. Silver is facing the death penalty and is scheduled to go to trial later in July.
The last question posed by the judge at the hearing before Pedley led away was, "Where was your core? What were your core beliefs?"
Pedley responded, "I didn't have a belief system."
