Daisy Link: Conviction Overturned, Pregnancy, and Jail Assault

The Daisy Link case is a Florida murder prosecution that became nationally known for two reasons: the defendant became pregnant inside a Miami-Dade jail by inseminating herself with semen passed through an air-conditioning vent by another inmate, and the second-degree murder conviction she received in October 2025 was thrown out four months later after prosecutors showed jurors photographs that had never been admitted into evidence. As of mid-2026, Link remains held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center while the state appeals the order granting her a new trial.

The Shooting of Pedro Jimenez

Pedro Jimenez and Daisy Link had been partners for nine years and shared two children. Both sides at trial described the relationship as volatile, with mutual domestic violence and drug use. They did not live together; Jimenez lived with his mother.¹

On June 25, 2022, a confrontation broke out at Link’s Homestead home after she admitted to an affair. Link testified that Jimenez used cocaine, became enraged, choked her, and threw her to the floor. She said she grabbed a 9mm ghost gun and fired toward the ground to scare him away. The bullet struck Jimenez in the right thigh and severed his femoral artery; a second shot hit his left foot. Forensic evidence at trial indicated Jimenez was running away when the shots were fired.¹

Ring doorbell and neighbor surveillance cameras captured the aftermath. Audio recorded Link telling the wounded Jimenez, “Not like I hit a major artery, you’ll be fine.” Twelve minutes passed between the shooting and the 911 call. Link initially told investigators she had found Jimenez injured in an alleyway, and she hid his phone and wallet before later admitting she had shot him.¹ Jimenez bled to death.

The Self-Defense Claim

Link’s defense rested on a history of abuse. She testified that five days before the fatal shooting, Jimenez pinned her down and bludgeoned her with the metal end of the same pistol later used in the killing. She said she never reported the earlier assault because she feared Jimenez would be deported and she would lose custody of their children.² The couple’s eleven-year-old son testified via Zoom, telling jurors he had seen his father pistol-whip his mother and fire a shot at her that missed during the earlier incident.³

Prosecutors countered with evidence that violence in the relationship ran both ways, including text messages and a 911 call in which Link was accused of attacking Jimenez with a skateboard as he sat in a vehicle.¹

On September 8, 2025, Judge Lody Jean denied a motion to dismiss under Florida’s stand your ground law. Citing the 911 recording, police body-camera footage, and the Ring video, the judge found that Link’s “calm and joking demeanor” immediately after the shooting undermined the claim she had fired out of fear.⁴

The Trial and Guilty Verdict

Trial opened in Miami-Dade Circuit Court in October 2025. Prosecutor Alex Bergida argued Link shot Jimenez out of rage over the affair and fired while he was running away, pointing to the Ring audio, the delayed 911 call, and Link’s lies to investigators as evidence of a guilty mind. DNA linked Link to the ghost gun recovered from a palm tree near the scene.¹

Link took the stand on October 15, 2025, testifying she never intended to hit Jimenez and had tried to help him after firing. She said she lied to police because she feared getting in trouble for having Jimenez around the children. On October 16, 2025, the jury returned a guilty verdict for second-degree murder after less than two hours of deliberation.²

Why the Conviction Was Overturned

The verdict did not stand. During closing arguments, prosecutor Bergida had shown jurors a PowerPoint containing four photographs of Link’s home that were never admitted into evidence. The photos depicted intact windows and were used to attack testimony from Link’s mother, who had said Jimenez broke in through a window — testimony that supported the self-defense theory. The defense objected, the prosecution conceded the error and apologized, and the judge allowed a one-minute rebuttal as a corrective.⁵

In February 2026, Judge Jean ruled that the one-minute fix had not been enough. She wrote that the unadmitted photographs “came at a critical time in the trial, during the closing argument which was almost impossible to rebut,” and were “coupled with argument used directly to discredit Defendant’s self-defense claims and a key witness in the case.” The errors, she concluded, “deprive [Link] of a fair and impartial trial and likely materially contributed to the jury’s finding of guilty.” She granted a new trial.⁶

The Jailhouse Pregnancy

While awaiting trial in 2023 at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, Link became pregnant despite being held in a women’s unit with no physical contact with male inmates. A Miami-Dade Corrections investigation identified the father as Joan Depaz, a fellow inmate charged with murder and housed on a different floor. Link and Depaz had been communicating through the jail’s air-conditioning vents, passing notes and photographs. Depaz collected semen in Saran Wrap, attached it to a line made from bedding material, and lowered it through an L-shaped duct connecting their cells. Link retrieved the package and used a yeast infection applicator to inseminate herself.⁷

DNA testing confirmed Depaz as the father. Link reportedly told her mother she had planned the pregnancy after being denied bond at a hearing on September 7, 2023, and said she intended to sue the jail.⁸ She gave birth to a daughter on June 19, 2024, at Jackson Memorial Hospital. The baby lives with Depaz’s mother, and both parents keep in touch by phone and video visits.⁷ Depaz pleaded guilty to murder in 2026 and was sentenced to 25 years in state prison.⁹

Miami-Dade Corrections opened an internal affairs investigation, cleared staff of involvement in the conception, and implemented changes at the facility. Link’s request to be moved to house arrest during her pregnancy was postponed and never granted; she has remained in custody throughout.¹⁰

Jailhouse Assault Charges

Link has picked up new charges behind bars. According to an arrest report, on January 26, 2026, she entered another inmate’s cell and punched the woman in the face and head at least fifteen times without any prior verbal exchange. The victim sustained a minor lip injury and a scratch to her nose. Link was charged with battery by a detainee on another detainee.¹¹

On May 25, 2026, surveillance footage captured Link arguing with an inmate in the common area, then rushing at her, pulling her hair, and punching her repeatedly in the head and face. Both were evaluated at the jail clinic and released with no visible injuries. A second battery charge followed.¹²

Where the Case Stands Now

Prosecutors have appealed the order granting a new trial to the Third District Court of Appeal. Judge Jean has stayed all proceedings, including the retrial itself, until the appellate court rules, a process she estimated could take one to two years.¹³ Link remains held without bond at Turner Guilford Knight, facing the pending murder retrial and the two battery cases from her jailhouse altercations.

1
Court TV. FL v. Daisy Link: Toxic Relationship Murder Trial
2
NBC Miami. Closing Arguments Set in Murder Trial of Miami-Dade Inmate Who Got Pregnant in Jail
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CBS News Miami. South Florida Woman Who Gained National Attention for Pregnancy Behind Bars Testifies in Murder Trial
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Local 10. Judge Denies Stand Your Ground Claim for Murder Suspect Who Gained Notoriety for Jail Pregnancy
5
Court TV. Daisy Link Granted New Murder Trial After Prosecution’s Error
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Miami Herald. Judge Grants Daisy Link a New Trial
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WSVN. Miami-Dade Inmates Describe Secret Way They Got Pregnant in Jail Without Meeting Each Other
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NBC Miami. Woman Charged in Husband’s Murder Got Pregnant in Miami-Dade Jail After Bond Denied
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NewsNation. Jailhouse Pregnancy: Separated Inmates Daisy Link
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NBC News. Judge Postpones House Arrest Decision for Florida Inmate Who Became Pregnant in Jail
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Local 10. Convicted Killer Daisy Link Now Accused of Attacking Fellow Inmate
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Local 10. Convicted Killer Daisy Link Accused of Attacking 2nd Inmate
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Miami Herald. Daisy Link Case: Prosecutors Appeal New Trial Ruling