Patricia Ripley Case: Confession, Charges, and Death Penalty

The Patricia Ripley case is the Miami-Dade prosecution of a mother charged with first-degree murder for drowning her nine-year-old son Alejandro, who had severe autism and was nonverbal, in a canal on May 21, 2020, after initially telling police he had been kidnapped. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Ripley, now 51, is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correction Center, and her trial before Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez is set for January 25, 2027.¹²

What Happened on May 21, 2020

On the evening of May 21, 2020, Ripley drove Alejandro to a canal at the Kendall Acres Condominium complex near SW 103rd Avenue and Kendall Drive in West Kendall. Surveillance video from the complex shows her leading the boy to the water, pushing him in, and running away.³ Neighbors heard screaming, and a resident waded in and pulled Alejandro from chest-deep water. Ripley returned to the scene with an older couple, and the boy was handed back to her alive.⁴

About an hour later, around 8:30 p.m., Ripley took Alejandro to a second canal at the Miccosukee Golf and Country Club, near SW 62nd Street and SW 138th Court. According to the arrest affidavit, she pushed him in there too. This time no one saw. Alejandro’s body was recovered from that canal the next morning, May 22, at roughly 7:50 a.m. He was wearing a blue Captain America T-shirt and a diaper. The Miami-Dade County medical examiner ruled the cause of death as drowning.³⁵

Prosecutors have highlighted that several other adults were at the Ripley home that day, and Ripley chose to take Alejandro out with her rather than leave him behind.¹

The False Kidnapping Story

Instead of reporting what she had done, Ripley told police that two Black men had run her car off the road, demanded drugs, and abducted Alejandro along with her cellphone when she said she had none.⁶ The story triggered an AMBER Alert and a statewide search that night.⁷

The account fell apart quickly. Surveillance footage outside the Home Depot where Ripley claimed the abduction happened showed her sitting alone in her car for twenty minutes before she reported her son missing.³ The arrest affidavit describes hours of “conflicting statements.” When detectives showed her the video from the first canal and relayed what witnesses had seen, she dropped the kidnapping story.⁸

The Confession

After being read her Miranda rights at the homicide bureau, Ripley admitted she had made up the abduction and had led Alejandro to the canal where he died. According to the arrest affidavit, she told investigators, “He’s going to be in a better place.”⁶ Later-released interrogation video showed her alone in the interview room from late morning into the evening, sobbing when detectives stepped out.⁷

Charges and the Death Penalty

Ripley was first arrested on attempted first-degree murder and first-degree premeditated murder.⁶⁹¹⁰⁵¹¹

State attorneys have signaled they are open to plea discussions, but no agreement has been reached and the death penalty remains on the table.⁴

The Fight Over the Confession

The central pretrial battle is whether Ripley’s confession will reach the jury. Defense attorney Karen Gottlieb filed a motion to suppress the statements, arguing they were coerced. The defense’s grounds:

Sleep deprivation. Gottlieb told the court Ripley had been awake for more than 30 hours when questioning began, with the written motion putting the figure above 36 hours.¹²
Withholding medication. The defense alleged investigators left her for hours in the interrogation room without her prescribed medication for severe anxiety and panic attacks.¹²
Exploitation of religious beliefs. A supplemental defense motion accused detectives of using what it called a “Christian burial technique,” a reference to the tactic at issue in the U.S. Supreme Court case Brewer v. Williams, by asking whether she believed in Jesus, telling her she “needs to pray,” and framing a confession as repentance necessary for God’s forgiveness. According to the defense, a detective said: “What do you think God is going to be saying right now by you holding back something so horrible, you know, that right now the only thing you can bring him … is repentance.”¹³¹²
Intimidation. The defense also alleged detectives screamed at Ripley and pulled up close to her during questioning.¹³

Prosecutor Abbe Rifkin answered each point. Rifkin told the court Ripley is a psychologist with a master’s degree who voluntarily waived her right against self-incrimination. On sleep, she argued Ripley had lived with insomnia for years, was accustomed to functioning on little rest, and had been able to run errands the day of the killing.¹ Rifkin called the confession “extraordinarily important” to the state’s case but added, “I think I have a circumstantial case without the statement,” citing the surveillance video and witnesses from the first canal.¹⁴

Judge Mendez heard the arguments on May 12, 2026, took the motion under advisement, and indicated she would issue a written ruling by June 23, 2026.¹² If she throws the confession out, the state will proceed on the surveillance footage, witness testimony from the first canal, and Ripley’s shifting statements to police.

Where the Case Stands

The trial has been pushed back repeatedly. An initial date of October 24, 2022 came and went after the two sides could not reach a plea.¹⁵ A tentative August 26, 2024 date also slipped.⁴ Ripley remains at the Turner Guilford Knight Correction Center. Trial is now scheduled to begin January 25, 2027, more than six years after Alejandro’s death. If convicted of first-degree murder, she faces a possible death sentence.¹

1
Miami Herald. Patricia Ripley Confession Hearing
2
My Suncoast. Miami Mother Indicted for Drowning Son
3
Fox 13. Video Shows Florida Mom’s First Attempt to Drown Son With Autism
4
NBC Miami. Death Penalty Brought Up Again for Mother Accused of Drowning Autistic Son
5
Local 10. Mother Accused of Drowning Autistic Son Enters Plea of Not Guilty
6
ABC News. Florida Mom Charged With Murder of Son With Autism
7
NBC Miami. Interrogation Tapes Show Police Questioning Mom Accused of Drowning Autistic Son
8
CNN. Alejandro Ripley Killing
9
Miami Herald. Miami Mother Indicted for Drowning Son
10
CBS News Miami. Patricia Ripley Faces Death Penalty
11
Miami Herald. Patricia Ripley Held Without Bond
12
Court TV. Mom Charged With Murdering Son Accuses Detectives of Psychological Abuse
13
Law & Crime. Mom Caught on Video Pushing Son Into Canal
14
Local 10. Defense Wants Confession Tossed in Case of Miami-Dade Mother Accused of Killing Autistic Son
15
NBC Miami. Trial Date Set for Miami-Dade Mom Accused of Drowning Autistic Son