SLP, Mexico.- Damián Valdez-Galloso, the only suspect and accused of the murder of Cuban reggaeton singer José Manuel Carbajal Zaldívar (El Taiger), appeared for the first time this Thursday in Miami-Dade court before Judge Mindy S. Glazer.
The lawyer denied him bail for the second-degree murder charge for which Valdez-Galloso is accused.
In fragments of the hearing shown by the journalist Mario VallejoDamián was wearing an anti-suicide vest and responded that he did not have the resources to pay for a private lawyer, which is why the judge indicated that one be assigned to him ex officio.
In the reading of the charges, Glazer questioned the prosecution’s accusation of second-degree murder, considering it insufficient when reading the description of the events.
The judge asked why this was the designated crime if second-degree murder occurs without prior planning or deliberation, as a result of impulsive acts.
“It appears that he shot him in the head and dragged his body and put it in a vehicle and the victim later died,” Glazer said. “Wouldn’t that be a charge of first-degree murder?” she added, insisting on the intention to kill that she found in the events reported, and that would require trying him for first-degree murder.
In this regard, the prosecutor explained that they still do not have enough evidence to prove premeditation and change the accusation to first degree.
According to the arrest report published by authorities, after shooting El Taiger from the door of his home, the defendant used a back exit to flee. Subsequently, he dragged the victim by the ankles and put him into the vehicle in which the Police would find the artist a little more than an hour later.
The document, which has been spread on social networksdetails that El Taiger arrived at Valdez-Galloso’s residence around 5:24 am, and the shooting occurred shortly after. While the singer lay injured in the vehicle, the defendant cleaned the crime scene, changed his clothes and left for the vicinity of the Jackson Memorial Hospital trauma center, where he left the injured man.
sole responsible
Valdez-Galloso is so far the only suspect in the murder of the Cuban reggaeton singer and was extradited this Wednesday to Miami from New York, where he was captured on October 29 after remaining on the run for more than 20 days.
Dressed in white and under strict security measures, Valdez-Galloso arrived at Miami International Airport and was subjected to an exhaustive review by the authorities. Throughout the process, he remained silent and showed no signs of resistance or signs of regret, as recorded in a report by journalist Javier Díazof Univision 23.
The video released by Díaz shows the suspect being escorted away in handcuffs by two officers. When the reporter asked “Do you have anything to say, Damian?”, the defendant fell silent. After completing security procedures and a medical evaluation, Valdez-Galloso was transported to the Miami-Dade County Jail.
Valdez-Galloso’s criminal history
The records County police reveal that Valdez-Galloso has also been charged with attempted tampering with physical evidence, for which he was placed on $2,500 bail.
Between 2007 and 2018, he accumulated six convictions, including two for sexual relations with minors between 16 and 17 years old and three for not registering as a sex offender. In 2018 he was convicted of grand theft, and was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2015 and 2019.
Released from prison in September 2020, in 2021 he faced a grand theft charge in Miami-Dade County. Records indicate that, as a convicted felon, he resided in Hialeah as a registered sex offender.
