The CantmIre Post

On Monday, Mexican telenovela star Pablo Lyle was sentenced to five years in prison in a Miami court after he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in a deadly 2019 road rage confrontation.

Lyle, 33, got into an argument with Jose Rodriguez at a traffic stop in April 2019. During the altercation Rodriguez was punched by Lyle and fell to the ground, hitting his head and dying days later.

In November 2019, Lyle entered a plea of no contest to involuntary manslaughter. He has been on house arrest since then.

At the sentencing hearing, prosecutors said they wanted Lyle to serve up to 14 years behind bars for the crime. However, Judge Alan Fine handed down a lesser sentence due to mitigating factors including his lack of criminal record and his genuine remorse for the incident.

The judge also noted that Rodriguez had provoked the confrontation by throwing something at Lyle's car before they exchanged punches. He also pointed out that it was not premeditated murder but rather "an extremely unfortunate result of two men acting unwisely."

Lyle must serve 85 percent of his sentence before being released from prison, which means he will be incarcerated for about four years and three months total. Afterward he will remain under supervised release for two years and be required to perform 500 hours of community service as part of his sentence.

The actor issued an apology during the hearing saying "My family has suffered greatly from this tragedy... I want Mr. Rodriquez’s family to know that I accept full responsibility for my actions."

The case has sparked debate across Latin America due to Lyle's celebrity status and previous work on popular telenovelas such as 'La Doña' and 'La Piloto.' Many have argued that he received preferential treatment because of his fame while others have applauded Judge Fine's decision as fair given the circumstances surrounding the case.