Cold case solved as man convicted of murder 10 years after kidnapping teenager and forcing her to perform sex show with boyfriend before raping her and shooting her dead
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After a decade of evading justice, a man has been found guilty of the brutal kidnap, rape and execution of an 18-year-old girl.
Joel Lebron was convicted on Friday of murdering South Florida teen Ana Maria Angel in April 2002, after the jury spent just one hour deliberating over his guilt.
They will be back in court next week to determine the fate of the killer, considered to be the ring-leader of the five-man gang who tortured and slayed the teen.
Joel Lebron (left) has been convicted of murdering South Florida teen Ana Maria Angel (right) in April 2002
It was he who delivered the fatal blow to Angel, shooting and killing her, her mother Margarita Osorio said.
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Share'For me, he was the worst. He was the head of the group,' she told the Miami Herald. 'He did the most damage to Ana Maria.'
High-school sweethearts: Nelson Portobanco only survived after faking his own death
Angel and her 17-year-old boyfriend, Nelson Portobanco, were in the Bayside Marketplace area of South Beach celebrating their four-mouth anniversary, and were just weeks away from graduating high school.
As they walking back to their car from a post-dinner stroll on the beach Lebron darted out, wielding a revolver, and forced them into his car.
Once inside the five men 'demanded a sex show,' prosecutor Reid Rubin said. 'They wanted everything. They wanted it all.
'They wanted property. They wanted her body. They wanted their lives.'
According to Rubin the group targeted the couple, intending to rob them for money to go partying, having been denied entry into a South Beach nightclub.
They proceeded to gang rape Angel, beating, kicking and stabbing Portobanco.
He played dead as they dumped his body on the side of Interstate 95 in Broward County, flagging down a motorist as they left who then called 911.
A little further down the road Lebron thrust Angel from the car, forcing her to hew knees at the side of the freeway.
He fired two 'dry' shots, because his gun had only one bullet, as Angel desperately pleaded for her life, her hands clasped in a prayer position.
Ignoring her cries, Lebron fired a third shot which succeeded, killing her instantly with a bullet to the brain.
Grisly: Officials move Angel's slain body from the scene
The grisly crime went unsolved for years until detectives traced a phone call made from Portobanco's phone to an Orlando address, where Angel's purse, shoes and ID were found, alongside Portobanco's wallet.
Forensics then paired Lebron's DNA with semen found inside Angel.
After years of legal battles he first appeared in court on September 10 2011 but a judge declared it a mistrial after detective Larry Marrero mistakenly let slip to jurors that a co-defendant had been convicted.
Among Marrero's evidence was Lebron's confession to him that he killed Angel because 'she could probably identify him'.
Cold blooded: Lebron laughs as his first trial is declared a mistrial
Lebron first appeared in court on September 10 but a judge declared it a mistrial after detective Larry Marrero (pictured) inadvertently let slip to jurors that a co-defendant had been convicted
The second trial concluded on Friday, with Lebron being convicted - a bittersweet victory for Portobanco and Angel's family.
Osorio told the Herald: 'I still have a great pain. It’s first-degree murder, and my daughter was still the victim. But at least, we know he won’t hurt anybody else.'
At his sentencing next week jurors will decide whether Lebron should be executed, or face life in jail.
Three of his co-defendants have previously been sentenced in the decade following Angel's death.
Margarita Osorio (pictured) Angel's mother, described Lebron as 'the worst, the head of the group'
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