The defense for the Circle K worker accused of killing an off-duty Edgewater Police officer said during a hearing March 27 that it is working on preparing for trial, but encountering challenges reaching mitigation witnesses in Cuba, such as the mother of the accused.
Eduardo Labrada Machado, 24, was working as a clerk at a Circle K in Ormond-by-the-Sea when off-duty officer David Jewell stopped by the store Sept. 15, 2025, on his way home from picking up his father-in-law from a hospital.
After Jewell walked into the store, Labrada Machado walked out, went to his car and got a gun he had picked up from a gun store earlier that day, according to a charging affidavit. Then the clerk walked back into the store and repeatedly shot Jewell, who had been standing at the counter waiting to pay, according to the affidavit.
Labrada Machado was indicted on a charge of first-degree murder with a firearm. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
Circle K clerk’s defense having trouble reaching family in Cuba
During the hearing, Labrada Machado spoke with Assistant Public Defender Brian Smith. When he was being led in, he nodded at one of the assistant public defenders. Labrada Machado sat quietly and usually looked straight ahead during the hearing. He was wearing the routine orange jail jumpsuit and restraints worn by inmates in court.
Smith said that the defense is working on questioning witnesses. He also said the defense is also working on the mitigation portion of the trial.
If Labrada Machado is convicted of first-degree murder, the trial would enter the penalty phase in which a jury would have to decide whether to recommend he be sentenced to death or spend the rest of his life in prison.
Defense mitigation witnesses would testify during the penalty phase.
But Smith said the current status of the relationship between Cuba and the United States is making it more difficult to reach witnesses in Cuba, although the defense is working on it.
“Kind of hinders trying to get into Cuba; we do have witnesses to speak to, one being my client’s mother and other family members,” Smith said.
And he added the defense is working on other aspects of mitigation.
The United States has placed a blockade on oil reaching Cuba, worsening an already bad economic situation on the communist island. The Trump administration is now in talks with Cuba.
Smith said the case should be ready to go to trial in the fall of 2027.
Circuit Judge Elizabeth Blackburn scheduled a case management conference for June 15, at which time attorneys would again discuss scheduling and possible trial dates.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Defense for accused Circle K cop killer trying to reach mom in Cuba
Reporting by Frank Fernandez, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
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