“They are trying to kill my father,” says Francisco Serrano

Twenty years of injustice assures the Serrano family, who since their father was sentenced to death in Florida have accused the lack of clarity in a process in which, according to experts, there was no evidence that the Ecuadorian Nelson Serrano (83 years) committed the quadruple murder for which he was blamed in Bartow.

Francisco Serrano, his son, is the one who has carried the flag of his father’s case since then and now shows his annoyance after the re-sentence decision has been suspended for five years, time in which his mother could not be together with his father –”the carer of the family in medical matters”–, when he died last Tuesday.

Nelson also has health problems, Francisco says, since he can only see in one eye and takes several medications, and affirms that in the prison, the Union Correctional Institution, they mistreat and harass him.

“They are trying to kill my father, it is the third time in 18 months that they take away his heart medicine… (also) when he returns to his cell he finds all his things thrown outside the cell. All the medicine bottles, which are quite a few, were opened and scattered on the floor. They told him that he has to fix and collect everything. Now my father has problems with the sciatic nerve, his leg has no cartilage in the head of the femur… and with back problems, in addition to his age and everything else, he has to get on the floor to look for the pills ”, affirms Francisco, who says that this is just one example of what his father goes through because he does not want to give money so that they give him better treatment in the area of ​​those sentenced to death, where they handcuff his hands and feet even for take a shower. They have also avoided even “talking with the Ecuadorian consul.”

Regarding his legal situation, he comments that Nelson is technically without a sentence because in 2016 the US Supreme Court declared that Florida was acting unconstitutionally and more than 300 death sentences were cleared to be resentenced, including his father.

Francisco acknowledges the interest that the Ecuadorian State has shown, but believes that more support with statements would be good, because in addition to the fact that his father is innocent, in 2002 he was kidnapped in Quito and taken to the United States illegally to the trial. He also believes that because of his origin, a case like this in Florida is not given the attention that should be given.

Francisco (57 years old) has two younger sisters, Cristina and Michelle. All three still live in the United States, but only he in Florida. His mother had returned to live in Quito due to the stress that all this caused her, until she returned for medical reasons. 2018 was the last time she saw her husband in person. While now Francisco communicates with him frequently online through a special site that the prison has.

“They took the apartment from my mother when they found him guilty (2007)… they took the apartment from all of us,” says Francisco, who adds: “Later we discovered a little more about the racism that existed and that the members of the jury spoke to the press and the majority said that the reason my father was found guilty was because no evidence of his innocence was ever shown. It’s the biggest nonsense in the world… It’s an uneasiness to know that not even the system is there to protect you. It is a change of reality that affected us a lot.”

He also remembers how after his father’s case, people from his family moved away and it was a moment when they saw who they really were friends. In addition to causing problems in business.

“(Now) when I get involved with a new client and we are going to do projects, I warn them that part of my life is to repair this situation and that I am there to answer all the questions. But it is something that stays… for my mother it was also difficult because the social community does not always understand. To my sisters…since they live in other states, the topic is not on top, but the moment it becomes a national conversation, which is what we hope, they are going to be confronted by this reality too,” she says.

Bring the case back to the public

On February 18, Francisco Serrano will organize a press conference in Miami, together with law representatives from Florida International University, as well as the participation of organizations and people who have accused the lack of justice in several similar cases. I would also like a representative of the Government of Ecuador to be present at said meeting, to show the support of the Ecuadorian State.

He has already summoned media such as CNN, Univisión, Telemundo and the rest of the US, local and national.

You can also show support at www.nelsonserrano.org and at Change.org. (I)