Bio 

Marbel Mendoza was born on September 23, 1966. He is identify as a Cuban national. By the early 1990s, Mendoza was living in South Florida. Court records later connected him to a planned robbery in Hialeah, Dade County, Florida. The target was Conrado Calderon, a mini-market owner whose daily routine had been watched before the crime.

According to court records, Mendoza asked Humberto Cuellar to help with the robbery. Humberto then brought in his brother, Lazaro Cuellar, to drive the getaway car. Mendoza also had other criminal cases from 1991 and early 1992 involving robberies, burglaries, assaults, kidnappings, and firearm offenses.

Before the murder, Mendoza was already facing a serious criminal history. These prior cases later became important during sentencing because prosecutors used them as part of the argument for the death penalty. By March 1992, Mendoza was involved in the robbery plan that led to Calderon’s death and later resulted in his conviction for first-degree murder.

Murder Story

On March 17, 1992, Marbel Mendoza, Humberto Cuellar, and Lazaro Cuellar went to the home of Conrado Calderon in Hialeah, Florida. Calderon owned a mini-market, and the men had learned his morning routine before the crime. Their plan was to rob him as he left for work.

Before dawn, Mendoza and Humberto waited outside Calderon’s house while Lazaro stayed in the getaway car. At about 5:40 a.m., Calderon came outside and walked toward his Ford Bronco. Mendoza and Humberto approached him in the driveway. Mendoza had a .38-caliber revolver, and Humberto had a 9 mm pistol.

A struggle began between the men. Humberto hit Calderon in the head with his pistol. Calderon then pulled out his own gun and shot Humberto in the chest. Humberto ran back toward the getaway car. As he ran away, he heard more gunshots. Mendoza soon returned to the car and said he had shot Calderon. The men then drove to a hospital because Humberto was wounded.

Police later found Humberto’s pistol in the getaway car. Hair was embedded in the gun, matching the account that Humberto had used it to hit Calderon. At the crime scene, investigators found Calderon’s gun and a bank bag under his body. Money was also found in his pocket and wallet, meaning no money was taken during the robbery attempt.

Evidence showed that Calderon was shot four times with a .38-caliber revolver. Three shots were fired at point-blank range, and the fourth was fired from less than six inches away. Investigators also found Mendoza’s fingerprints and palm prints on a Cadillac parked near Calderon’s body.

Mendoza was arrested on March 24, 1992, one week after the murder. Court records said he had shaved his head and moved away from his usual residence by the time of his arrest. On March 31, 1992, he was indicted for first-degree murder and other charges connected to the attempted robbery.

The Cuellar brothers were also charged. Lazaro Cuellar pleaded guilty to manslaughter, conspiracy, and attempted armed robbery, and received a ten-year prison sentence. Humberto Cuellar pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and other charges, and received a twenty-year prison sentence.

Mendoza went to trial and was found guilty on February 8, 1994. He was convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit robbery, attempted armed robbery, armed burglary with an assault, and possession of a firearm during a felony. The jury recommended the death penalty by a vote of seven to five.

On August 2, 1994, Mendoza was sentenced to death for the murder of Conrado Calderon. He also received additional prison sentences for the robbery-related charges.

Mendoza appealed his conviction and death sentence. On October 16, 1997, the Florida Supreme Court upheld both. He later filed more appeals and postconviction motions, including claims about ineffective legal representation and Florida’s death-penalty sentencing rules. Those efforts did not overturn his death sentence. He remains listed as a Cuban national under sentence of death in Florida.