# Ricardo Gonzalez

> Gonzalez was convicted of the first-degree murder of police officer Steven Bauer, who was shot during the Jan. 3, 1992 robbery of a North Miami bank. Ballistics tied the fatal bullet to his gun. Gov. Ron DeSantis has scheduled his execution for Dec. 1, 2026.

- Case: State of Florida v. Gonzalez · Miami-Dade County, Florida · 1992
- Case status: Execution scheduled. Death sentence in force. Gov. DeSantis signed a death warrant on Oct. 30, 2026, setting execution at Florida State Prison for Dec. 1, 2026. His convictions were affirmed in 1997, his death sentence was reimposed after a new penalty phase in 1998 and affirmed in 2001, and his state and federal postconviction challenges have been denied. As of Nov. 3, 2026, no warrant-period litigation had been reported in the sources reviewed.
- Last updated: 2026-11-03
- Editorial review: approved 2026-11-03
- Web page: https://criminalbackstories.com/cases/ricardo-gonzalez/
- All defendants are presumed innocent until found guilty by a court of law. Charges and allegations described on this site are not proof of guilt.

## Why he's in the news

DeSantis signed Gonzalez's death warrant on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, setting his execution for Dec. 1 at Florida State Prison.[11][8] If the executions scheduled before his proceed, it would be Florida's 21st execution of 2026; the state carried out 19 in 2025, its most in a year since 1976, the News Service of Florida reported.[8][9] Gonzalez is 56.[8][10] Two of the men convicted with him, Leonardo Franqui and Pablo San Martin, are also on Florida's death row; no warrant has been announced for either.[8][10]

## Case at a glance

- Convictions: First-degree murder of a law enforcement officer, armed robbery, aggravated assault, two counts of burglary and two counts of grand theft; jury verdict June 2, 1994[1][6][8]
- Victim: Steven Bauer, 39, a police officer, shot at the Kislak National Bank in North Miami on Jan. 3, 1992[1][10]
- Age at offense: 21 (born Jan. 20, 1970)[6]
- Jury recommendations: Death, 7–5 in 1994 (sentence later vacated); death, 8–4 at the 1998 resentencing[1][3][6]
- Sentence: Death, first imposed Oct. 11, 1994; reimposed in September 1998 by Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Robert N. Scola Jr.[6][2][9]
- Direct appeals: *Gonzalez v. State*, 700 So. 2d 1217 (Fla. 1997), convictions affirmed, death sentence vacated; *Gonzalez v. State*, No. SC94154 (Fla. May 10, 2001), new death sentence affirmed[1][2]
- State postconviction: *Gonzalez v. State*, 990 So. 2d 1017 (Fla. 2008), denial of relief affirmed; *Hurst* claim rejected, No. SC17-1499 (Fla. 2018)[3][4]
- Federal habeas: *Gonzalez v. Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections*, No. 09-15599 (11th Cir. Jan. 3, 2011), denial of relief affirmed[5]
- Current status: Execution scheduled for Dec. 1, 2026[11][8][12]

## The backstory

### The robbery

On Jan. 3, 1992, four gunmen robbed the Kislak National Bank in North Miami, taking a cash box from a drive-in teller and escaping in two stolen gray Chevrolet Caprices, according to the Florida Supreme Court. Police officer Steven Bauer was shot and killed during the robbery. The getaway cars were found abandoned about two blocks from the bank.[1][2] According to the *Tampa Bay Times*, the robbery began at about 7:50 a.m., before the bank opened; Bauer, 39, was escorting tellers to their drive-in stations when he was shot twice, and one bullet pierced his heart.[10] Court records say the gun Gonzalez carried fired the fatal shot.[1][9]

The men charged with Gonzalez were Leonardo Franqui, Pablo San Martin, Fernando Fernandez and Pablo Abreu, the court wrote.[1] The *Tampa Bay Times* reported that the robbers took about $17,000 and that Abreu drove a getaway car.[10]

### The confessions

Police stopped Gonzalez at his home about two weeks after the robbery, and he gave unrecorded and recorded confessions, according to the court.[1][8] He admitted taking part, said Franqui had planned the robbery, supplied the gun and fired first, and said he fired once, low, believing he had hit the officer only in the leg.[1][2] Franqui, after first denying involvement, confessed, said Gonzalez had yelled "freeze" and fired first, and said he fired only once after hearing a shot. San Martin admitted grabbing the money tray.[1][2]

### The trial

Gonzalez was tried with Franqui and San Martin in May 1994.[1] Over his objection, the trial court admitted the codefendants' confessions with the references to him intact.[1] The evidence against him, as the Florida Supreme Court summarized it, included his own confession, ballistics tying the fatal bullet to his gun, and $1,200 of the stolen money found in his closet.[1] The jury found him guilty on all counts on June 2, 1994.[6][5] It recommended death by a vote of 7 to 5, and he was sentenced to death on Oct. 11, 1994.[1][6]

### The first appeal

On Sept. 18, 1997, the Florida Supreme Court held that admitting Franqui's and San Martin's confessions at the joint trial was error.[1] It found the error harmless as to guilt, given Gonzalez's own confession and the physical evidence, and affirmed his convictions.[1] But because Franqui's confession "portrayed Gonzalez as the aggressor," the court could not say the error was harmless at sentencing, and it vacated the death sentence and ordered a new penalty phase.[1] The U.S. Supreme Court declined review in 1998.[6]

### The new penalty phase

At the 1998 resentencing, the defense presented mental-health evidence, according to the Florida Supreme Court. A neurologist, whose deposition was read to the jury, diagnosed pugilistic encephalopathy from head injuries suffered in boxing, but testified that Gonzalez performed normally on neurological tests and that the condition would not cause robbery or murder.[2] A forensic psychologist found no psychosis, no major mental disturbance and no drug or alcohol use, and said Gonzalez would adjust well to prison.[2] A neuropsychologist testified that most of his test results were normal but that he had language deficits, a learning disability and an IQ of 80, and concluded that he acted impulsively and under extreme mental or emotional disturbance; the trial court found that conclusion inconsistent with his confession and the planning of the robbery.[2] Family members testified about his background.[2]

The jury recommended death by a vote of 8 to 4.[3][6] Circuit Judge Robert N. Scola Jr. resentenced him to death in September 1998.[2][6][9]

### Why the court chose death

The judge found six aggravating circumstances, which he merged into three and gave great weight: that Gonzalez had been convicted of other violent felonies, the contemporaneous armed robbery and aggravated assault; that the murder was committed during a robbery and for pecuniary gain; and that it was committed to avoid arrest, to hinder law enforcement, and against a law enforcement officer performing his official duties. They are listed in full above.[2][7]

He found one statutory mitigating circumstance, no significant prior criminal history, and gave it little weight. He rejected the statutory mental-health mitigators and the claim that Gonzalez was a minor participant.[2] He found as nonstatutory mitigation, each given little weight, brain damage, learning disability and below-average intelligence; remorse; cooperation with authorities; the life sentences given to codefendants Abreu and San Martin; and good conduct in custody and potential for rehabilitation. He rejected family background as mitigation.[2]

On May 10, 2001, the Florida Supreme Court affirmed. It held that his challenge to the codefendants' confessions was barred because it had been decided in the first appeal, that other claims were not preserved, and that the trial court had properly evaluated the mental-health evidence.[2] Reviewing proportionality, it wrote that the death penalty "is reserved for only the most aggravated and the least mitigated of first-degree murders," and held the sentence proportionate.[2] Two justices, concurring, wrote that they did not approve of some of the prosecutor's remarks.[2]

### Postconviction appeals

In state postconviction proceedings, Gonzalez's lawyers argued that his trial lawyers had been ineffective at both phases of the trial, that a codefendant's later life sentence was new evidence, and that *Ring v. Arizona* applied to his case.[3] The circuit court denied relief in January 2004, and on July 3, 2008, the Florida Supreme Court affirmed; among other holdings, it found that calling three mental-health experts was a strategic decision and that Fernandez's life sentence would probably not have led to a life sentence for Gonzalez, whom it described as more culpable.[3][6]

A federal district court denied his habeas petition in 2009.[6][5] On Jan. 3, 2011, the 11th Circuit affirmed, holding that the state court's harmless-error ruling was reasonable because whether Gonzalez was "the 'aggressor who had precipitated the shooting' was legally irrelevant to his first-degree murder conviction."[5] On March 23, 2018, the Florida Supreme Court held that the *Hurst* decisions do not apply to him, because his sentence became final in 2001.[4]

### The codefendants

Franqui is on death row for Bauer's murder and was also sentenced to death for a separate killing in Hialeah a month earlier, the *Tampa Bay Times* reported.[10] San Martin was sentenced to life for Bauer's murder and is on death row for the Hialeah killing; Fernandez was sentenced to life and is listed in prison records as deceased; and Abreu is serving life, according to the *Times*.[10]

### The death warrant

DeSantis signed the warrant on Oct. 30, 2026, setting the execution for Dec. 1 at Florida State Prison.[11][8] *The sources reviewed do not describe any litigation filed since the warrant was signed.*

## Personal backstory

### Early life

Gonzalez was born on Jan. 20, 1970, and was 21 at the time of the robbery.[6] At his resentencing, family members testified that he grew up in loving and supportive households, that he was well educated and religious, that he had always been law-abiding, and that he had suffered migraine headaches since boyhood, according to the Florida Supreme Court.[2] *The sources reviewed do not say where he grew up.*

### Mental health

At resentencing, a neurologist diagnosed pugilistic encephalopathy, attributed to boxing, and a neuropsychologist testified to a learning disability, language deficits and an IQ of 80; a forensic psychologist found no major mental illness.[2] The trial judge found brain damage, learning disability and below-average intelligence as nonstatutory mitigation, giving them little weight, and rejected the statutory mental-health mitigators.[2]

### Life before the crime

The judge found that he had no significant prior criminal history.[2] *The sources reviewed do not describe his work or schooling beyond his family's testimony.*

### Life in custody

Gonzalez has been in custody since his arrest in January 1992 and on death row since 1998, after his resentencing.[1][10] The trial judge found good conduct in custody as mitigation.[2] He is 56.[8] *The sources reviewed contain no statement from Gonzalez since the warrant was signed.*

## Aggravating circumstances found

- Fla. Stat. § 921.141(5)(b) (1991), now § 921.141(6)(b): "The defendant was previously convicted of another capital felony or of a felony involving the use or threat of violence to the person." The trial court relied on his contemporaneous convictions for armed robbery and aggravated assault.
- Fla. Stat. § 921.141(5)(d) (1991), now § 921.141(6)(d): "The capital felony was committed while the defendant was engaged . . . in the commission of . . . robbery." Merged with the pecuniary-gain aggravator.
- Fla. Stat. § 921.141(5)(f) (1991), now § 921.141(6)(f): "The capital felony was committed for pecuniary gain."
- Fla. Stat. § 921.141(5)(e) (1991), now § 921.141(6)(e): "The capital felony was committed for the purpose of avoiding or preventing a lawful arrest or effecting an escape from custody." Merged with the two aggravators below.
- Fla. Stat. § 921.141(5)(g) (1991), now § 921.141(6)(g): "The capital felony was committed to disrupt or hinder the lawful exercise of any governmental function or the enforcement of laws."
- Fla. Stat. § 921.141(5)(j) (1991), now § 921.141(6)(j): "The victim of the capital felony was a law enforcement officer engaged in the performance of his official duties."

## Where the parties stand

- State: The 1998 sentencing order found that Gonzalez "received $1,500 as his share of the proceeds from the robbery/murder," the News Service of Florida reported.[8] At the time of the killing, the Miami Herald quoted the police chief as saying, "Officer Bauer did not stand a chance," and "It's a cold, vicious killing. Totally, totally premeditated," according to the *Tampa Bay Times*.[10]
- Defense: Gonzalez admitted taking part in the robbery and firing once, but told police he aimed low and believed he had hit the officer only in the leg; he blamed Franqui for planning the robbery, supplying his gun and firing first.[1][2] At resentencing, a defense neuropsychologist testified that he acted impulsively and under extreme mental or emotional disturbance.[2] On appeal his lawyers argued that the confessions of two codefendants, admitted at the joint trial, should not have been heard; the Florida Supreme Court agreed that admitting them was error but held it harmless as to guilt.[1][5] *No statement from Gonzalez or his lawyers about the warrant was found in the sources reviewed.*
- Victim's family: Bauer was a father of three, the *Tampa Bay Times* reported.[10] *No statement from his family about the warrant was found in the sources reviewed.*

## Timeline

- Jan. 20, 1970: Gonzalez is born.[6]
- Jan. 3, 1992: Four gunmen rob the Kislak National Bank in North Miami; Officer Steven Bauer is shot and killed.[1][10]
- January 1992: About two weeks after the robbery, police stop Gonzalez, and he gives unrecorded and recorded confessions.[1]
- Feb. 14, 1992: He is indicted.[6]
- June 2, 1994: Tried jointly with Franqui and San Martin, he is found guilty on all counts.[1][6]
- Oct. 11, 1994: After a 7–5 jury recommendation, he is sentenced to death.[1][6]
- Sept. 18, 1997: The Florida Supreme Court affirms the convictions but vacates the death sentence and orders a new penalty phase.[1]
- 1998: A new jury recommends death, 8–4, and Judge Robert N. Scola Jr. resentences him to death.[3][2][6]
- May 10, 2001: The Florida Supreme Court affirms the new death sentence.[2]
- July 3, 2008: The Florida Supreme Court affirms the denial of postconviction relief.[3]
- Jan. 3, 2011: The 11th Circuit affirms the denial of federal habeas relief.[5]
- March 23, 2018: The Florida Supreme Court holds that the *Hurst* decisions do not apply to his sentence.[4]
- Oct. 30, 2026: DeSantis signs the death warrant.[11][8]
- Dec. 1, 2026: Scheduled execution at Florida State Prison.[11][8][12]

## What happens next

The execution is scheduled for Dec. 1, 2026, at Florida State Prison.[8][12] The News Service of Florida reported that it was not yet known whether Gonzalez would bring further appeals before the execution date.[8] *No Florida Supreme Court scheduling order for warrant litigation was found in the sources reviewed.*

## Sources

1. [Gonzalez v. State, 700 So. 2d 1217, No. 84,841](https://law.justia.com/cases/florida/supreme-court/1997/84841-0.html). Florida Supreme Court, Sept. 18, 1997. (court or official record)
2. [Gonzalez v. State, No. SC94154](https://law.justia.com/cases/florida/supreme-court/2001/sc94154.html). Florida Supreme Court, May 10, 2001. (court or official record)
3. [Gonzalez v. State, 990 So. 2d 1017, No. SC04-225 (in the appendix to a petition for certiorari)](https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/17/17-9575/50951/20180621205436643_APPENDIX.pdf). Florida Supreme Court, July 3, 2008 (filed in the U.S. Supreme Court, No. 17-9575, June 2018). (court or official record)
4. [Gonzalez v. State, No. SC17-1499 (in the appendix to a petition for certiorari)](https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/17/17-9575/50951/20180621205436643_APPENDIX.pdf). Florida Supreme Court, March 23, 2018 (filed in the U.S. Supreme Court, No. 17-9575, June 2018). (court or official record)
5. [Gonzalez v. Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections, No. 09-15599](https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-11th-circuit/1551196.html). U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, Jan. 3, 2011. (court or official record)
6. [Inmate details: Ricardo Gonzalez, DC #123763](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/capitalcases/inmatedetailse0b7.html?IID=201). Florida Legislature, Commission on Capital Cases (archived). (court or official record)
7. [Florida Statutes § 921.141 (1997)](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/1997/921.141). The Florida Senate. (court or official record)
8. [Florida approaches record execution pace as DeSantis signs new death warrant for 1992 police officer murder](https://www.fox13news.com/news/florida-approaches-record-execution-pace-desantis-signs-new-death-warrant-1992-police-officer-murder). FOX 13 Tampa Bay, with the News Service of Florida, Nov. 2, 2026. (news report)
9. [DeSantis schedules execution of north Miami cop killer](https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/desantis-schedules-execution-of-north-miami-cop-killer/3881961/). NBC 6 South Florida, Nov. 2, 2026. (news report)
10. [Decades after South Florida bank heist, cop killer gets an execution date](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/decades-south-florida-bank-heist-151123695.html). Tampa Bay Times, via Yahoo News, Nov. 2, 2026. (news report)
11. [Florida cop killer set to become 21st person executed in 2026](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/florida-cop-killer-set-become-211204832.html). WFLA, via Yahoo News, Oct. 30, 2026. (news report)
12. [Upcoming Executions](https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions/upcoming-executions). Death Penalty Information Center (accessed Nov. 3, 2026). (news report)