A Florida inmate who surprised many by announcing she got pregnant while incarcerated, without direct contact with the father, has received a verdict in a murder case that preceded her notable pregnancy story.
Daisy Link, 30, caught international attention after asserting that she became pregnant with fellow inmate Joan DePaz through an air vent communication and some creative methods.
Detained at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami-Dade, Link and DePaz reportedly developed a friendship by conversing through their cells’ ventilation system. Link described how inmates could ‘knock on the vents’ to communicate with others on different floors, and that spending long hours talking in isolation made it feel as if they were in the same room.
Recently, Link, who captivated many with her unusual pregnancy story, was found guilty of second-degree murder for the 2022 death of her longtime partner, Pedro Jimenez. A South Florida jury reached its decision in under two hours this week.
Link had been awaiting trial since her June 2022 arrest for the incident involving Jimenez. Prosecutors alleged she shot him in the leg outside her Homestead residence and left as he succumbed to his injuries. Her defense argued it was self-defense after enduring years of domestic abuse, asserting she was threatened and beaten shortly before the event.
During her testimony, she said: “That’s the father of my kids…It’s not like I didn’t love him, I did.”
Her 11-year-old son testified remotely, claiming he witnessed Jimenez aiming a gun at Link, missing, and then assaulting her with it.
However, the jury ultimately agreed with the prosecution. One juror commented to reporters, as noted by the New York Post: “If he’s running away and she shot him in the back, doesn’t seem much like self-defense if he’s running away.”
The case drew national interest, especially after Link gave birth to a baby girl on June 19, 2024, while in custody. Link claimed she inseminated herself with semen delivered through a vent in plastic, using yeast infection applicators. DePaz, who is still incarcerated on his own murder charge, likened the conception to a ‘Virgin Mary’ scenario.
Dr. Fernando Akerman, the medical director of the Fertility Center of Miami, remarked that the pregnancy was ‘absolutely a case that is exceedingly unusual’, estimating the likelihood at ‘less than five percent’.
Link is scheduled to appear in court on November 21 for pre-sentencing, potentially facing a lengthy prison term, the same place where her extraordinary pregnancy story began.
Speaking to CBS News, Link’s sister, Crystal Barretto, expressed hope that the judge might consider the circumstances for a reduced sentence. She commented: “I hope the judge takes into consideration all the evidence that was presented, the past domestic violence, history against Pedro and Daisy and the time she’s already served,” she said. “And also taken into consideration, her children and the new baby that was just born.”