A suspect from a highly publicized murder case in Osceola County accepted a plea deal with prosecutors.
Juan Sebastian Muriel, the man accused of driving the night of 22-year-old Eric Roopnarine’s murder accepted that plea deal, agreeing to testify against his three co-defendants for a lesser sentence of 10 years behind bars and five years probation.
The three co-defendants include Konrad Schafer, who was 15 at the time of the crime, David Damus and Victoria Rios.
The victim’s father, Pooran Roopnarine, shared photos of the last Christmas he celebrated with his son Eric. It was the Christmas in 2012.
He didn’t want to give an on-camera statement on Thursday, but he said he is disappointed in the plea deal.
He also gave a written statement, saying:
“He [Eric Roopnarine] was my closest and only true friend. That night, when I received the phone call telling me that he was no more, everything around me began to crumble.”
Muriel agreed to testify truthfully against Konrad Schafer, David Damus and Victoria Rios during the trial.
As part of the deal, Muriel pleaded no-contest to armed burglary with a gun and possession of hydrocodone.
He’ll remain in custody until his formal sentencing date in March, after he’s already testified against the co-defendants.
Muriel will also be housed away from his three co-defendants.
Investigators say the four had plans to rob Roopnarine, but when he only had a small amount of cash, Damus allegedly shot the 22-year-old and Schafer stabbed him in the neck.
Here is the rest of Pooran Roopnarine's statement:
“Eric Roopnarine was my child. That word, child, is often taken lightly. But only a parent can know what it truly means. Regardless of what he did or said, of what we argued about or laughed about, in my eyes he was always just one thing, love. Even when he made mistakes, as every child would, a parent can never see anything but love within their child. For most of them, it is the only real love they have ever experienced. For myself, Eric was exactly that. He was my child and he was the meaning of love for me. When I was going through a personally difficult time, Eric was the only person I had by my side. He was exactly what I needed and more than I could ask for. He was my closest and only true friend. That night, when I received the phone call telling me that he was no more, everything around me began to crumble. That love I cherished more than anything else was snatched away and I could not do anything about it. He pleaded for his life and it was taken in the most gruesome way imaginable.
"And now, as I try to hold onto something that is no more, I am left with only the memories of my child. If there is one thing I truly do hope for, it is for those who have taken him from me, to understand what they have done. They have not only taken his life, they have also taken mine, and that of those who knew love through him. I ask that the court take appropriate action to ensure that no other parent would ever experience the loss of love and life that I must now cope with every moment.”