JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Johnathan Quiles, who was found guilty of raping and killing his pregnant 16-year-old niece, sent a letter to Judge Anthony Salem arguing he didn’t get a fair trial and explaining the reasons why he should get a new one.
In the letter sent on Oct. 24, Quiles argues Judge Salem should’ve granted a continuance so he and the defense could properly vet evidence that was provided to them just days before the jury selection was scheduled. Quiles also mentions had his defense team had that evidence sooner, “it would have embarked on a whole different path” to challenge it.
READ | Full letter written by Johnathan Quiles to Judge Anthony Salem
On Oct. 2, jurors recommended life in prison without the possibility of parole even though prosecutors sought the death penalty. Jurors found Quiles guilty of two counts of murder and one count of sexual assault in the death of his niece by marriage, Iyana Sawyer.
Sawyer was five months pregnant when she disappeared in December 2018 and investigators believe she was pregnant with Quiles’ baby. Police said Quiles shot her and placed her body in a dumpster that was taken to the Otis Road landfill in 2018.
Investigators looked through more than 5,000 tons of trash but never found her body.
In the letter to the judge, Quiles also mentions that he rushed the defense during the cross-examination of witnesses and that he overruled defense objections to prosecution witnesses whom Quiles claimed were “ clearly lying under oath.”
Also, Quiles pointed out Salem was “visibly crying during witness testimony,” and during the impact statements and sentencing phases, which he believes swayed the jury.
Quiles was also facing a sexual assault charge involving Iyana Sawyer’s sister, who also testified during the trial. The state dropped that charge.
Quiles remains in the Duval County jail, awaiting transfer to prison.