Uploaded June 2010 | Updated September 2026, 9 hours ago
Manuel DeJesus Rosales must now wait to see whether prosecutors believe they can prove he killed his 3-month-old grandson and whether the alleged act warrants the ultimate penalty.
But Rosales, 43, will spend his time waiting in the Lee County Jail after a judge today decided to hold him without bond — the second time he appeared in court in two days.
"I am concerned that he is a flight risk and a danger to the community," said Lee County Judge Leigh Frizzell Hayes. "And I will hold him no bond."
Appearing via closed circuit television from the Lee County Jail's Core facility, Rosales appeared to be wearing a padded anti-suicide suit and was surrounded by three guards. He said "good morning" to the judge when he picked up the telephone in the jail to communicate with Frizzell, who was in the Lee County Justice Center. That was all he said.
He was arrested Thursday by Lee County sheriff's deputies after they were called to a duplex on Gilbert Avenue South in Lehigh Acres. There, they found his 20-year-old daughter Karminda Rosales Salazar and her 3-month-old son, whose name hasn't been released, with their throats slashed. According to reports, Rosales allegedly slashed his daughter's throat, got the 3-month-old and stood over his daughter as she lay bleeding on the driveway and told her, "Here's your bastard."
Deputies charged him with two counts of attempted first-degree murder and at a hearing his bond was set at $1 million per count.
But the 3-month-old died Friday afternoon and detectives upgraded one of the charges to first-degree murder. Rosales Salazar was still in critical condition today night, Sheriff's Lt. Larry King said.
Rosales' arraignment is scheduled for June 21, but in coming weeks, prosecutors will review detectives' reports and determine what charges to file against Rosales. If they believe first-degree murder is the most appropriate charge, they will have to convene a grand jury to obtain an indictment for first-degree murder. A panel of prosecutors that includes State Attorney Steve Russell may meet to determine whether the death penalty is warranted in the case.
Manuel DeJesus Rosales must now wait to see whether prosecutors believe they can prove he killed his 3-month-old grandson and whether the alleged act warrants the ultimate penalty.
But Rosales, 43, will spend his time waiting in the Lee County Jail after a judge today decided to hold him without bond — the second time he appeared in court in two days.
"I am concerned that he is a flight risk and a danger to the community," said Lee County Judge Leigh Frizzell Hayes. "And I will hold him no bond."
Appearing via closed circuit television from the Lee County Jail's Core facility, Rosales appeared to be wearing a padded anti-suicide suit and was surrounded by three guards. He said "good morning" to the judge when he picked up the telephone in the jail to communicate with Frizzell, who was in the Lee County Justice Center. That was all he said.
He was arrested Thursday by Lee County sheriff's deputies after they were called to a duplex on Gilbert Avenue South in Lehigh Acres. There, they found his 20-year-old daughter Karminda Rosales Salazar and her 3-month-old son, whose name hasn't been released, with their throats slashed. According to reports, Rosales allegedly slashed his daughter's throat, got the 3-month-old and stood over his daughter as she lay bleeding on the driveway and told her, "Here's your bastard."
Deputies charged him with two counts of attempted first-degree murder and at a hearing his bond was set at $1 million per count.
But the 3-month-old died Friday afternoon and detectives upgraded one of the charges to first-degree murder. Rosales Salazar was still in critical condition today night, Sheriff's Lt. Larry King said.
Rosales' arraignment is scheduled for June 21, but in coming weeks, prosecutors will review detectives' reports and determine what charges to file against Rosales. If they believe first-degree murder is the most appropriate charge, they will have to convene a grand jury to obtain an indictment for first-degree murder. A panel of prosecutors that includes State Attorney Steve Russell may meet to determine whether the death penalty is warranted in the case.
