ORLANDO, Fla. — A judge accepted a jury's recommendation and handed down a death sentence Monday in the case of Bessman Okafor, who is convicted of first-degree murder in connection with the 2012 killing of 19-year-old Alex Zaldivar.

Zaldivar was a witness during a home invasion in May 2012 and was expected to testify against Okafor, who faced felony charges including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and robbery with a firearm. Okafor was out of jail on bond at the time and was being monitored by a radio frequency device. Before Okafor was scheduled to go to trial in the home invasion case in September 2012, Zaldivar was killed on Sept. 10.

A jury in 2015 convicted Okafor in connection with Zaldivar's killing in an Ocoee home and recommended 11-1 that Okafor be sentenced to death. He also was convicted of the attempted murder of two others and armed burglary. Judge John Marshall Kest accepted their recommendation and sentenced him to death.

In 2016, the Florida Suprme Court issued a ruling requiring juries' recommendations for death sentences to be unanimous, and in 2017, the court ordered a new sentencing hearing for Okafor. An Orange County judge in 2017 said she could not overrule that decision. In a 2020 appeal of its decision, the Supreme Court refused to reinstate the death penalty in Okafor's case and said his sentencing must go before another jury.

But last year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new law allowing juries to impose the death penalty with as few as eight out of 12 votes.

In February, a new jury once again recommended the death penalty for Okafor, this time by a 9-to-3 margin.

Judge Lisa Munyan accepted that jury's recommendation and sentenced Okafor to death on Monday, but he could appeal if there are challenges to the new Florida law on the number of jurors required to recommend the death penalty.

An execution date will be decided later.

Zaldivar's father said Monday that he believes the death penalty is the right decision but that the family will never have closure.

"We will never have closure, even if he’s executed in the next 15 years," Rafael Zaldivar said. "But I will be there. I will be there. The last face he’s going to see is my face.”

Rafael Zaldivar said Alex's mother had planned to be in the courtroom for the sentencing but that it was a very difficut situation for her. Rafael said he planned to visit his son's gravesite later Monday.