MIAMI, United States. – The Miami Prosecutor’s Office this Wednesday raised the charge of murder against Damián Valdez-Galloso from second degree to first degree for the death of José Manuel Carbajalknown artistically as El Taiger.
The update was announced during a hearing Wednesday morning, after considering new evidence and consulting a grand jury, according to a report of Martí News.
With this change, authorities will seek to prove that Valdez-Galloso acted with premeditation in the homicide. In Florida, first-degree murder is defined as a homicide planned in advance or committed during the execution of certain serious crimes, and is punishable by the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
During Wednesday’s hearing, it was also reported that Valdez-Galloso has a new defense attorney due to a potential conflict of interest with his previous representation. The defendant, who pleaded not guilty last week, was not present at the session and remains in custody after the judge denied him the right to bail at a previous hearing.
Initially, Valdez-Galloso faced charges of second-degree murder, which applies when someone causes the death of another person intentionally but without premeditation. This crime does not require proof of prior planning and carries penalties of up to life in prison, but excludes the death penalty.
Two weeks ago, Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales He assured the news channel Telemundo 51 that, although the evidence against Valdez-Galloso was strong for a guilty verdict, there was insufficient evidence to establish premeditation.
The shot at El Taiger was fired from the front, face to face, which rules out the possibility that the alleged murderer acted in self-defense. Additionally, investigations have determined that Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” statutes do not apply, as there is no indication that the suspect felt threatened at his home.
Damian Valdez-Galloso, also known as “El Narra”, owns an extensive criminal history spanning more than a decade. 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.
Miami Police Chief confirmed in a previous press conference that Valdez-Galloso was the material author of the murder of El Taiger and assured that no other people were involved. “Damian was the one who shot; is responsible and there is no other person involved,” Morales emphasized.
On October 3, the Police received an emergency call made by Valdez-Galloso himself and arrived at the scene at 6:45 am. Thus, the officers found El Taiger bleeding from the head near the intersection of the Northwest 9th Avenue and 17th Street, in Miami. The artist was taken to the hospital, where he remained in critical condition for a week before died on October 10.
