An arrest has been made in the execution style homicide of retired Miami Police captain Robert Yee. A person was arrested in New Jersey in connection with the homicide, and there is a sealed indictment in the case. Yee retired after 25 distinguished years on the police force. He had been working as a security officer at a boatyard on the Miami River when he was shot in the back of the head execution style. Yee had been riding in a golf cart patrolling Hurricane Cove Marina at the time of his shooting.
Shortly after the incident, police issued a bulletin for a short balding caucasian with a goatee driving a silver late-model Toyota Corolla. The police released a sketch and a video was posted on YouTube to generate leads. While the crime remained a mystery for some time, there was speculation that Yee was killed because he assisted federal agents in exposing drug trafficking and immigration smuggling.
Yee's career was widely lauded by both law enforcement and the public. Yee decided to become a police officer after a police officer saved his daughter's life. A police officer rushed Yee's daughter to the hospital driving against one-way traffic after she had an allergic reaction to penicillin. A few years after Yee became a police officer he was involved in a shootout at a Burger King where he was shot. When he arrived at the scene, two employees were tied up with an armed robbery in progress. He was able to free the employees, foil the robbery and shot the suspect. Yee was promoted through the department eventually becoming captain. "He was a good officer and a good servant of his community," commented Miami City Commissioner Angel Gonzalez. "He was a very polite person, very friendly."
A person arrested and charged with homicide faces very dire consequences under Florida homicide law. The consequences of a murder conviction can include a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. There are several different degrees of murder, which have different levels of severity. Homicide cases can also be a type of manslaughter. Manslaughter basically involves a homicide without intent such as vehicular manslaughter where a drunk driver causes an accident resulting in someone's death. The life of a person accused of homicide hangs in the balance. A qualified criminal defense lawyer is absolutely necessary when charged with a homicide under Florida criminal law.
