LIVE, THE ONE AND ONLY
LOCAL 10 NEWS STARTS RIGHT NOW.
I JUST WANTED HER, YOU KNOW
DISH JUST WANTED HER TO LIKE ME.
SO I SAID -- I SAID WHATEVER
COULD I SAY TO GET THAT SORT OF
REACTION.
Constance: NEW AT NOON, THE
MAN CONVICTED OF KILLING HIS
BEST FRIEND IN A MIDDLE SCHOOL
BATHROOM 12 YEARS AGO TAKING TO
THE STAND JUST MOMENTS AGO
GETTING EMOTIONAL.
Kristi: MICHAEL HERNANDEZ IS
TESTIFYING IN HIS RESENTENCING
HEARING AND LOCAL 10 REPORTER
LIANE MOREJON IS IN THE COURT
ROOM FOR THAT TESTIMONY.
SHE JOINS US LIVE IN MIAMI.
SOUNDS VERY EMOTIONAL IN THERE.
Reporter: OH, KRISTI AND
CONSTANCE, A HUGE SURPRISE.
MICHAEL HERNANDEZ TAKING THE
STAND IN HIS OWN RESENTENCING
HEARING.
AND IN THAT SOUND BITE YOU JUST
HEARD, HE WAS REFERRING TO A PEN
PAL HE HAD WHEN HE WAS IN THE
PRISON.
THEY COMMUNICATED BY PHONE AND
ALSO IN WRITING.
HE WAS ADDRESSING SOME COMMENTS
THAT HE I NEED HER.
THEY WOULD TALK ABOUT SERIAL
KILLERS AND REALLY DISTURBING
THINGS THAT YOU WOULDN'T REALLY
WANT TO HEAR FROM SOMEONE WHO IS
IN PRISON FOR MURDER.
AND HE SAYS THAT HIS EXCUSE FOR
THAT WAS SHE SEEMED INTERESTED
IN THIS, SO HE FIGURED HE WOULD
JUST PLAY ALONG AND TELL HER
WHAT HE THOUGHT SHE WANTED TO
HEAR.
NOW LET'S GET YOU CAUGHT UP ON
HOW WE GOT TO THAT POINT.
MICHAEL HERNANDEZ, THEN 14 YEARS
OLD, LURED HIS BEST FRIEND
JAMAICA GOFF, ALSO 14, INTO THE
BOYS BATHROOM IN FEBRUARY OF 20
BOYS BATHROOM IN FEBRUARY OF
2004 AND STABBED HIM 42 TIMES
RIGHT THERE.
HE LATER WAS SENTENCED TO LIFE
WITHOUT PAROLE BUT IN 2012, THE
U.S. SUPREME COURT RULED THAT
JUVENILES COULD NOT
AUTOMATICALLY FACE A LIFE
SENTENCE WITHOUT PAROLE, SO THAT
PAVED THE WAY FOR HERNANDEZ TO
BE RESENTENCED BRINGING US TO
WHAT IS GOING ON TODAY.
NOW IS HIM AGAIN AS WE MENTIO
NOW IS HIM AGAIN AS WE
MENTIONED.
HE DID TAKE THE STAND TODAY FOR
HIS RESENTENCING HEARING.
HIS ATTORNEY, MANNY HERNANDEZ,
GUIDING THROUGH -- GUIDING HIM,
RATHER, THROUGH THAT FIRST PART
OF TESTIMONY.
HE FIRST STARTED OUT BY
APOLOGIZING TO JAIME GOFF, HIS
VICTIM WELLS JAIME GOFF'S FAMILY
AND ALSO TO ANOTHER FRIEND OF
HIS WHO HE PLANNED TO KILL THE
DAY BEFORE GOFF DIED, BUT THAT
FRIEND NEVER TOOK THE BAIT.
HE ALSO TESTIFIED YESTERDAY.
HE TALKED ABOUT THE TYPE OF
MUSIC THAT HE LIKES.
EXPLAINING THAT HE HAS AN
INTELLECTUAL APPRECIATION FOR
DEATH METAL MUSIC.
HERE IS A SNIPPET OF SOME OF
THAT PART OF THE TESTIMONY.
YOU TALK ABOUT SOME VERY
DISTURBING THINGS ABOUT BRITNEY.
YES, SIR.
YOU TALK ABOUT SERIAL
KILLERS.
YES, SIR.
YOU TALK ABOUT VIOLENCE?
YES, SIR.
WHY?
I WAS -- I WAS VERY NERVOUS,
YOU KNOW, LEADING UP TO TALKING
TO HER.
I NEVER TALKED TO, YOU KNOW, A
FEMALE OVER THE PHONE.
SO I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO TALK
ABOUT.
MY LIFE AS BEING INCARCERATED IS
VERY MUNDANE.
SO I TRIED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT
COULD I TALK ABOUT, WHAT COULD
I, YOU KNOW, FILL THE
CONVERSATION UP WITH.
AND I KNEW THAT SHE -- BECAUSE
OF THE WAY SHE REACHED OUT TO ME
AND VARIOUS THINGS SHE HAD SAID
IN HER LETTERS THAT SHE HAD AN
INTEREST IN -- IN CRIME OR --
FROM MY PERSPECTIVE -- I --
Reporter: ALL RIGHT, SO THAT
WAS THE PORTION OF THE TESTIMONY
WHERE HE'S TALKING ABOUT WHY HE
TALKED ABOUT SERIAL KILLERS AND
OTHER SORT OF VIOLENT TOPICS OF
CONVERSATION ON THE PHONE WITH
THAT PEN PAL WHO HE HAD A SORT
OF PHONE AND WRITING RELAT
OF PHONE AND WRITING
RELATIONSHIP WITH.
THEN COMES CROSS EXAMINATION,
AND PROSECUTOR GAIL LEVINE
WASTED NO TIME JUMPING RIGHT AT
HIM, AGGRESSIVE SHE WAS, GETTING
RIGHT DOWN TO THE NITTY GRITTY,
ASKING QUESTIONS OF HIM AS TO
WHY HE LISTENED TO MUSIC WITH
THE LYRICS THAT HE DID,
QUESTIONING WHETHER HIS EMOTION
THAT HE SHOWED IN COURT WAS EVEN
SINCERE.
SHE EVEN ASKED HIM WHETHER HE
HAD SOMETHING IN HIS HANDS THAT
WAS CAUSING HIM TO HURT HIMSELF,
AND, THEREFORE, HAVING HIM
MUSTER UP THOSE TEARS.
HE EVEN CALLED HIM OUT SAYING
SHE DIDN'T SEE ANY TEARS ON HIS
FACE.
LET'S GO TO SOME -- A PORTION OF
THAT PART OF THE CROSS
EXAMINATION, INCLUDING A PART
WHERE SHE ASKED MICHAEL
HERNANDEZ TO ADDRESS HIS OWN
SISTER IN COURT AND EXPLAIN TO
HER WHY HE PLANNED TO KILL HER,
WHY HE PUT HER ON HIS HIT LIST
WHEN HE WAS JUST 14 YEARS OLD.
SHE CONTACTS YOU BECAUSE SHE
HAS A FASCINATION WITH SERIAL
KILLERS, AND WHEN SHE WRITES YO
KILLERS, AND WHEN SHE WRITES
YOU, YOU TELL HER BECAUSE SHE
WRITES YOU BECAUSE SHE IS YOUNG
AND WANTS TO KNOW HOW YOUR MIND
WORK.
SHE NEVER SAID THAT AT ALL.
SHE IS FASCINATED WITH GORE,
STREET IN.
I THINK SO.
JUST LIKE YOU.
NO.
YOU DON'T WANT TO ADMIT WHAT
YOU DID WAS WRONG, RIGHT?
WHAT I DID WAS WRONG.
OH, TODAY YOU ARE SAYING
THAT.
I HAVE SAID IT -- I HAVE SAID
IT FOR A LONG TIME.
DID YOU EVER TELL YOUR SISTER
CHRISTINA WHY SHE WAS ON THE
LIST?
WE WERE TOLD NEVER TO DISCUSS
THE CASE.
YOU NEVER TOLD HER.
I WAS FOLLOWING THE ADVICE OF
MY ATTORNEY.
HOW ABOUT YOU TELL HER NOW.
SHE IS SITTING IN COURT.
I HAD ABSOLUTELY -- I LOVE
YOU.
AND I HAD ABSOLUTELY --
ABSOLUTELY NO INTENT TO EVER DO
ANYTHING TO YOU.
I WAS MAD ONE DAY.
AND THAT'S ALL IT WAS.
AND I LOVE YOU.
[CRYING]
Reporter: PROSECUTOR GAIL
LEVINE PULLING NO PUNCHES ON
MICHAEL HERNANDEZ.
HE ALSO MENTIONED THIS COURT
THAT IF HE WERE TO BE RELEASED
HE WOULD LIKE TO GET HIS
BACHELOR'S DEGREE.
HE WORKS AS A LAW CLERK IN THE
JAIL.
HE SAID WE LIKE TO BECOME A
PARALEGAL AND ONE DAY GET
MARRIED AND START A FAMILY.
THINGS BROKE HERE FOR RECESS
ABOUT 15 MINUTES AGO.
THEY WILL RESUME AT 12:45, AND
WE WILL HAVE A LOT MORE ON HAD
RIVETTING COURT HEARING COMING