Miami karate sensei accused of molesting 9-year-old girl pleads not guilty

MIAMI - A southwest Miami-Dade karate instructor who is accused of molesting a 9-year-old girl in 2023 was in court Tuesday and is willing to go to trial, saying he can prove he's not guilty.

Darwin Rojas-Frias , 58, was a teacher at Showakai Karate-Do USA in The Hammocks, a community in southwest Miami-Dade

In a court, Rojas-Frias' lawyer argued that the girl should be questioned again because her testimony was inconsistent.

"In a case like this, it's a testimonial case. there is no corroborating evidence. We want to be able to test what the victim is saying, what the victim said, the date of the alleged incident with what she's saying now. It's been my experience that testimony tends to change when you're under a little bit of pressure," said attorney Ricardo Hermida.

"In testimonial cases, the state's theory is that the victim said what she said, but in this case, the victim said what she said initially and then her story kind of evolved the following interview," continued Hermida.

The judge granted Rojas-Frias' lawyer's request to be questioned but said the questioning would need to be done in a "comforting environment." Hermida said Rojas-Frias is "steadfast" in his "innocence."

When questioned by reporters, Hermida also stated that his client is willing to do 100 years because he believes he is innocent.

According to police, on Sept. 29 of 2023, Rojas-Frias was having a one-on-one karate lesson with the girl in which her mother was present.

At one point, Rojas-Frias reportedly took the girl to a small closet out of her mother's view . There, he grabbed one of her hands and made her inappropriately touch him, according to his arrest report. The girl then left with her mother.