Jurors voted 11-1 for a death sentence in the killing of Gladys Machado, 12-0 for the killing of Julia Padron and 8-4 for the killing of Daniela Padron. Sierra, 42, pleaded guilty in August to three counts of first-degree murder and other charges. The jury’s recommendations are not the final sentences; the judge will decide the punishment.

Machado’s daughters were 6 and 3 when they were killed. Prosecutors said Sierra tried to conceal the crimes, but DNA evidence linked him to them. He pleaded guilty and police said he confessed during questioning.

The killings followed a November 2012 trip to the Mall of the Americas on West Flagler Street. Investigators said Sierra and Machado argued there, and that he stabbed her before driving the family to their home in west Miami-Dade. Prosecutors said he forced Machado and the girls inside, confined the children in a bedroom and suffocated all three. Their bodies were found days later after a neighbor noticed an odor coming from the home.

The trial included testimony from a neighbor who discovered the bodies, first responders and relatives of the victims. Machado’s son, Michael Padrino Jr., was 5 at the time and was not at the home that day. He told Sierra in court, “You took them. You know you did.”

Sierra’s defense called a doctor who discussed his medical history, including Type 1 diabetes and a prior collision with a car. Prosecutors noted the doctor had not treated Sierra or met him before the trial. Sierra did not testify. His relatives also testified in hopes of persuading jurors to spare his life.

The jury began deliberating Tuesday after closing arguments on Monday. Prosecutors described the killings as deliberate and calculated, while the defense sought to make the case for a sentence short of death.