Prosecutors appeal new murder trial for woman in viral Miami jailhouse pregnancy

Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald on Mar 2, 2026

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MIAMI — Miami prosecutors appealed a judge’s order granting a new murder trial for an inmate who made national headlines when she became pregnant while behind bars.

Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Lody Jean granted Daisy Link, 30, a new trial because Link was “prejudiced” by photos that prosecutors showed jurors — hoping to discredit her self-defense claim — despite the photographs not being introduced as evidence, according to an order filed in court. Jean presided over the trial.

Prosecutors appealed Jean’s order to the Third District Court of Appeal, according to a document filed in court on Friday.

In October, a jury convicted Link of second-degree murder for killing her husband, Pedro Jimenez, 33, outside her Homestead residence in June 2022. Link shot Jimenez once in the leg.

During a hearing on Monday morning, Jean also stayed, or paused, any proceedings, including a trial, at prosecutors’ request. That means Link’s trial will not start until the appellate court issues an opinion on the case.

It could take a year or two for the appeals court to hear the appeal in Link’s case, Jean said. During that time, Link will remain in jail, awaiting trial.

In January, Link was accused of entering another inmate’s jail cell and punching her in the face. During Monday’s proceeding, Jean set a hearing in that case for March 9.

Why was Link granted new trial?

During closing arguments, prosecutors used the four photographs at the center of the controversy to discredit the testimony of Link’s mother, the order says. The photos showed Link’s home with no broken windows or damage. However, Link’s mother testified that Jimenez had broken into Link’s house through a window.

In her order, Jean said “the errors deprive of a fair and impartial trial and likely materially contributed to the jury’s finding of guilty.”

“[The photos] came at a critical time in the trial, during the closing argument which was almost impossible to rebut ...,” Jean said. “Not only was un-admitted evidence presented to the jury, but it was also coupled with argument used directly to discredit [Link’s] self-defense claims [from] a key witness in the case — [Link’s] mother.”

Link’s defense attorney claimed she acted in self-defense when she shot Jimenez, who was her husband of nine years and had allegedly brutally beat her days before the killing. Prosecutors, however, painted a drastically different picture of the murder, alleging that Link killed her husband because she wanted to end their relationship.

During her trial, Link took the stand in her own defense, testifying about the moments leading up to the shooting. Jimenez, she said, grabbed her by the hair and threw her to the ground in a drug-fueled rage over infidelity.

“I took a shot. I initially aimed towards the floor as I lifted the gun,” Link said on the stand. “I didn’t expect it to hit him. I just thought the sound would scare him off.”

Link was at the center of a media storm after she became pregnant while at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in 2023. In June 2024, she gave birth to a daughter, conceived by Link and inmate Joan DePaz after Link inseminated herself with DePaz’s sperm, which was passed through an air vent. DePaz is now in prison serving a 25-year sentence for murder.