A Florida jury has handed down a life sentence to Steven R. Yinger, the former roommate of a prominent LGBTQ+ activist, for the brutal slaying that occurred in 2022. Yinger was found guilty of first-degree murder, tampering with evidence, grand theft motor vehicle, grand theft, criminal use of a personal identification number, and violating probation in the death of Jorge Diaz-Johnston, the brother of former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz.

The prosecution alleged that Yinger had moved into Diaz-Johnston's Tallahassee apartment after meeting at an alcohol rehab program. However, tensions arose when Yinger stole Diaz-Johnston's car and other items went missing. Diaz-Johnston confronted Yinger and urged him to move out on January 3, 2022, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.

Tragically, Diaz-Johnston, a key figure in the legalization of gay marriage in Florida in 2015, was found dead just days later in a landfill in Baker, Florida. A medical examiner determined that he had been strangled to death, and prosecutors believed that Yinger had dumped his body in a nearby public garbage collection site.

Following the jury's verdict, Don Diaz-Johnston, the victim's estranged husband, expressed his thoughts in a statement, saying, "What Jorge did was genuine Christian love to try to give this man a leg up and an opportunity." The defense attorney, Zach Ward, has not yet commented on the sentencing.

During the trial, it was revealed that a witness informed investigators that Diaz-Johnston had planned to evict Yinger for allowing a friend addicted to methamphetamine to frequent the apartment before his mysterious disappearance. Yinger provided conflicting stories to family and friends regarding Diaz-Johnston's whereabouts.

Assistant State Attorney Adrian Mood presented evidence to jurors, including the bin Yinger had allegedly used to transport the victim's body, stating that Yinger had treated Diaz-Johnston "like a piece of garbage." Yinger's defense attorney, Ward, argued that the evidence against his client was circumstantial, as no DNA was found at the crime scene. Ward maintained that Yinger's peculiar behavior and false statements to detectives were due to his struggles with drug addiction.

Nevertheless, the medical examiner testified that a victim being strangled would fall unconscious before dying, and the perpetrator would have to continue strangling them for several minutes to ensure death. This grim detail further reinforced the prosecution's case.

Court records indicate that Yinger had previously received a three-year prison sentence in 2019 for theft-related offenses. In contrast, Diaz-Johnston had been a pivotal figure in a 2014 lawsuit that successfully challenged Florida's ban on gay marriage.

The sentencing of Yinger brings a semblance of justice for the heinous crime committed against Jorge Diaz-Johnston, a beloved LGBTQ+ activist. As his former roommate faces life behind bars, the community mourns the loss of a son, brother, and uncle whose life was tragically discarded like common garbage.