A former Miami-Dade police officer on Thursday afternoon was found guilty of molesting three young girls over the span of a decade.
Daniel Ramos-Aviles, 42, put his head down and twiddled his fingers as the verdict was read. The six-person jury, made up of five men and one woman, convicted Ramos-Aviles of three of seven lewd and lascivious molestation charges for each of the three victims.
One of Ramos-Aviles’ family members, attending the trial in support, put her hand to her face — seemingly in disbelief — after he was convicted.
Ramos-Aviles, who worked at the then-Miami-Dade Police Department for just under 10 years, was fired after he was charged in October 2023.
During closing arguments, prosecutor Bronwyn Nayci emphasized how Ramos-Aviles abused children for years — recounting the girls’ testimonies. The three girls took the stand during the trial and detailed how Ramos-Aviles performed sexual acts on them and exposed himself during hide-and-seek games.
One of the girls was as young as 4 when she first told her mother that the former officer had sexually abused her, Nayci said.
“If you believe [the minor victims], you should find the defendant guilty,” Nayci said. “It all adds up and gives you a complete picture. No reasonable doubt.”
Defense attorney Scott Kotler argued that the case has no physical evidence, texts or confessions. It relied solely on the testimony of the victims, and jurors should see reasonable doubt from evidence — or lack thereof.
Kotler also highlighted flaws in the investigation: The lead detective, he said, received no formal training on child sexual abuse investigations. The detective, he said, was “in such a rush to reach a conclusion” that she interviewed one of the victims, who lived out of state, over the phone.
“This is what you need to think about when you go back to that jury room,” he said. “…You don’t have to find him innocent.”
He faces anywhere from 25 years to life at his sentencing in October.
By GRETHEL AGUILA/Miami Herald
Grethel covers courts and the criminal justice system for the Miami Herald. She graduated from the University of Florida (Go Gators!), speaks Spanish and Arabic and loves animals, traveling, basketball and good storytelling. Grethel also attends law school part time.
