Ibar defense asserts his innocence at murder trial

Says there’s no evidence that the DNA on T-shirt was his

The DNA evidence that prosecutors are emphasizing to convince a jury to convict Pablo Ibar of the 1994 Casey’s Nickelodeon murders should be used to set him free, one of his defense lawyers argued Wednesday.

Ibar, 46, has been in this position before. He was tried in 1997 for the murders of Casimir Sucharski, Sharon Anderson and Marie Rogers. The jury deadlocked.

He was tried again in 2000. The jury found him guilty and he was sentenced to death.

Seeking to prove his innocence, Ibar asked DNA experts in 2010 to re-examine a T-shirt left outside Sucharski’s home the day of the murders. The same shirt had been examined before, with no evidence that it belonged to Ibar, said his lawyer, Benjamin Waxman. Ibar had hoped to tie the DNA on the shirt to another suspect.

“Only an innocent person, someone who knew he had nothing to lose, would have even considered testing that shirt again,” Waxman said. “The risk — if he knew he was guilty, there was no chance in the world” Ibar would have asked to test the shirt again.

With closing arguments wrapping up in the murder trial, Broward Circuit Judge Dennis Bailey instructed jurors to deliberate until 7 p.m. Wednesday. The jury now plans to return to court Thursday to a verdict.

Ibar had hoped to match the DNA on the shirt to another possible suspect. It did not match. Some of the DNA belonged to a person whose identity is not known.

In 2016, prosecutor William Sinclair asked the same DNA expert hired by the defense to test the evidence against a sample continue considering

CAIR’s Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations accused Lima-Taub of promoting xenophobic stereotypes.

“CAIR-Florida strongly condemns the disgraceful racist and Islamophobic statements published by Commissioner Annabelle Lima-Taub,” director Wilfredo Ruiz said. “Her unAmerican, xenophobic statements establish that she is unfit to hold the commissioner’s seat. She must apologize immediately and follow up with her resignation.”

Lima-Taub posted remarks on Facebook on Tuesday saying she had no plans to apologize or resign.

She could not be reached for comment Wednesday despite four attempts: two phone calls and two text messages.

Lazarow’s request for a public censure will come before the commission on Jan. 23.

“While individual commissioners have spoken out

against Commissioner Lima-Taub’s hateful and bigoted remarks, I believe we need to take action as a city,” Lazarow said. “We must send a message to our community that this behavior won’t be tolerated.”

Lazarow is likely to have enough votes on the fivemember commission to support a reprimand, which will not require an unanimous vote.

Vice Mayor Sabrina Javellana and Commissioner Michael Butler have joined Lazarow in criticizing Lima-Taub for what some are calling an antiMuslim rant.

Mayor Joy Adams has so far stayed mum.

Lazarow says she plans to withdraw her request for a reprimand should LimaTaub “come to her senses” and issue a public apology.

“Instead of apologizing for her remarks, Commissioner Lima-Taub has doubled down, even going as far as demanding an apology from Congresswoman Tlaib,” Lazarow said. “I believe we must take action to show all who are watching that Hallandale Beach isn’t a place that tolerates

“There is no religious litmus test to hold public office in the United States and any politician who would spout this kind of vile antiMuslim rhetoric is clearly not fit to govern,” said Scott Simpson, a spokesman for the civil rights group Muslim Advocates.

But at least one group has come out in support of Lima-Taub.

“The commissioner took a stand,” said Bob Kunst, president of Shalom International in Miami Beach. “She can be a hate-monger. Who cares? There’s a wave I see happening right now that’s very dangerous. The woman from Michigan is one spoke in a very big wheel of hatred.”

Still, Kunst said he thinks Lima-Taub went too far in saying Tlaib might “blow up” Capitol Hill.

“That was kind of stupid,” he said. “That was kind of silly. I don’t support that.” hatred and bigotry.”