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Mexican soapstar Pablo Lyle found guilty for road rage murder, victim's family breaks down after verdict

The 35-year-old Mexican soap opera star fatally punched 63-year-old Juan Ricardo Hernandez during an altercation in Miami

MIAMI, FLORIDA: Actor Pablo Lyle was found guilty of manslaughter on Tuesday, October 4, in connection to a road rage incident in 2019 that turned violent. The 35-year-old Mexican soap opera star was accused of fatally punching 63-year-old Juan Ricardo Hernandez during an altercation in Miami and is now facing up to 15 years in prison.

“Today’s jury verdict finding Pablo Lyle guilty of the manslaughter death of 63-year-old Juan Ricardo Hernandez shows the outrageous destructiveness of 'road rage' incidents,” Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in a statement. “Two lives were destroyed by simple roadway anger, a situation we see far too often on our streets and on streets across the country. I am very proud of the efforts and hard work by Assistant State Attorneys Shawn Abuhoff and Gabriela Alfaro that has brought a measure of justice to Mr. Hernandez’s surviving family.”

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Video footage from the 2019 incident showed Lyle confronting Hernandez before knocking him out cold with a punch to the face. The latter died after his head hit the pavement.

During his defense on Monday, October 3, Lyle said he wouldn't take the stand while his attorneys argued that it was Hernandez who began the altercation by getting out of his car and pounding on Lyle's window. They said the actor was defending his family after believing the older man posed a threat. Defense attorney Phil Reizenstein said, “All they knew for those seconds was it was a stranger who had decided to intrude on their lives for reasons, for the most part, that we don’t know.”

Prosecutors, however, saw it differently. They argued that Hernandez walked away and was heading back to his car when Lyle assaulted him. “‘Please don’t hurt me,’ those were Juan Hernandez’s last words when he was knocked out by this defendant,” prosecutor Rachel Morales told the court. “Knocked out cold. Those were Juan Hernandez’s last words when he fell to the ground, hit his head, and lost his life as a result of a decision that Pablo Lyle made.” Furthermore, three witnesses testified that Hernandez had his hands up in a gesture of surrender, and prosecutors said there was no reason for Lyle to hit him after that.

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WSVN reported how it had been a long and drawn-out court battle for Hernandez's family. They told the outlet how the three years of waiting for justice had taken its toll. “It was tough trying to live everything again, seeing the videos and all that... and going through all of that again," the victim’s stepson Otto Aguilar said. The family's attorney Zena Duncan added, "The maximum is 15 and his guidelines, apparently, are a little over nine. So I don’t know what we’re asking for yet. It’s a little too soon to say.” While there is no date set for Lyle's sentencing at the time of publication, it is expected to be held at the end of the month or early November. Lyle starred in a number of telenovelas, including 'Mi Adorable Maldición'. He also appeared in the Netflix drama 'Yankee', according to The Sun.