Murder of Paul Winter by Cristobal Palacio examined on Evil Lives Here

Evil Lives Here is examining the murder of Paul Winter, who was shot dead by Cristobal Palacio in the driveway of a home in Kendall, Florida, in 2008.

Paul was the newlywed husband of Jennifer Winter, who was Palacio’s ex-wife. The shooting occurred on Jennifer’s birthday and in front of her two children.

Jennifer and Palacio had been in an unhappy marriage, and they went through an acrimonious divorce in 2007 when Jennifer won custody of their twin daughters. Three days after the divorce was settled, Jennfier married Englishman Paul Winter, who she had met online.

Palacio remained bitter about the whole experience, and one day in October 2008, he flew into a rage and murdered Paul in his own driveway. He killed Paul in front of his own children, and his daughter would play an instrumental role in putting her father behind bars when she testified against him.

Cristobal Palacio became a murderer in front of his kids

Jennifer and Paul had gone to Palacio’s home near Miami to drop off the twin girls for a court-arranged access visit when the killer emerged with a firearm. According to one of his daughters, Palacio smiled as he shot Paul six times from a distance of only three feet; two of the shots were in the back.

Palacio tried to claim he’d shot Paul in self-defense, and he said that the victim had harassed him and threatened him with a firearm on two separate occasions. And at his trial, Palacio claimed he had fired because he believed Paul was armed and that he feared for his life.

However, Paul had not even owned a gun. The prosecution also argued that Palacio had shot the victim twice in the back while he was lying on the ground, which are actions that could never be described as self-defense.

Palacio was found guilty of second-degree murder and was sentenced to 45 years in prison; 30 of those years are mandatory. He was also convicted of child abuse because the crime was conducted in front of his children, meaning he received another 10 years.

More from Evil Lives Here

Follow the links to read about more murders on Evil Lives Here.

Robert Brashers was a career criminal who targeted women and children for rape and murder in multiple states. He died in a shootout with police in Kennett, Missouri. Years later, DNA evidence revealed the extent of his crimes.

Wayne Adam Ford was another serial rapist and killer who murdered at least four women as he traveled throughout California. He eventually turned himself in to the sheriff’s office in Eureka, CA.

Evil Lives Here airs at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.