Telenovela actor Pablo Lyle was sentenced to five years in prison following a road-rage incident that left one man dead in Miami, People magazine reports.
The Telenovela actor Pablo Lyle, 36, wore a jail jumpsuit and appeared in court on Friday for his sentencing, according to NBC Miami.
The Telenovela actor Pablo Lyle was found guilty by a jury on Oct. 4 following an arrest for a 2019 incident during which Lyle punched a man during a traffic-related argument. Juan Ricardo Hernández, 63, was knocked to the ground. The incident was caught on video surveillance.
Hernández suffered a brain injury from the fall that led to an internal hemorrhage that left him unconscious, according to his family. Hernández was eventually disconnected from life-support systems.
“The conviction is unfair and we hope it will be reversed on appeal but the sentence was fair,” Phil Reizenstein, Lyle’s attorney, told People.
Telenovela actor Pablo Lyle faced a sentence between 9.25 and 15 years for the manslaughter conviction but Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez showed leniency after noting Lyle’s remorse, according to NBC Miami.
“Nobody here is going to be satisfied, nobody here is going to forget the pain that’s been caused,” Tinkler Mendez said, per the outlet.
Lyle will also have to reportedly attend anger management classes, complete 500 hours of community service and serve eight years of probation.
Hernández’s family spoke out during the hearing.
Hernández’s son Juan Ricardo Hernández Jr. called his father “a joyful person.”
“A beautiful person, there are no words to describe who my father was,” he said.
Lyle said during the hearing that it was not his intention to cause the death of Hernández.
“I truly thought I was protecting my family,” he said, according to WPLG, the ABC affiliate in Miami.
Lyle apologized to Hernández’s family during the sentencing hearing.
“I can only imagine the pain of losing a loved one, someone that important, especially in a situation like this,” Lyle said, according to NBC Miami. “I think about it every day. I pray that this day will bring you closure and that whatever happens today you can leave this courtroom with grace in your hearts.”
Lyle starred in telenovelas, including Mi adorable maldición and La sombra del pasado, among others. He also played a role in the Netflix original series Yankee.
Hernández’s death haunts him, Lyle said during the hearing.
“That Mr. Hernandez lost his life because of something I did, something that walks with me, it haunts me when I go to bed and it’s still there when I wake up,” Lyle said, according to NBC Miami.
“I never wanted any of this to happen, I never in my wildest dreams could have imagined something like this could have happened, that life could be lost and so many others affected so drastically in just a matter of seconds and just one punch.”