Santo Domingo Oeste.– Lawyer Juan Alberto Rodríguez, legal representative for National Police Corporal José Francisco Moreta Heredia, stated this Monday that his client is remorseful for the death of the young Darlin Enmanuel Mercado Reyes and maintained that it will be the justice system that determines the corresponding sanctions.
Upon leaving the Santo Domingo Oeste Courthouse, Rodríguez indicated that the officer acted because he felt threatened, although he acknowledged that this does not justify what happened.
“He felt threatened,” the jurist stated when asked about the circumstances under which the event occurred.
Regarding the video circulating on social media about the incident, the lawyer said he had not watched it and, therefore, could not provide an assessment of its content.
“I have no knowledge of that; I haven’t seen that video,” he replied.
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Rodríguez stated that it is up to the courts to establish the responsibilities of the case and affirmed that his client must face the consequences determined by the justice system.
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Referring to the statements of President Luis Abinader, who described the officer as an “animal” after learning of the incident, the lawyer questioned the results of the police reform process promoted by the Government.
“If anyone has disrespected society, it has been the president, because he has been meeting every Monday for five years for a police reform and has not come up with any results,” he declared.
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However, he clarified that he does not attribute direct responsibility to the president for the corporal’s actions, noting that “the acts are personal,” although he insisted that police reform should have shown greater progress.
Regarding the coercive measure, Rodríguez considered that, in the event that pretrial detention is imposed, his client must serve it at the Special Operations center due to his status as a member of the National Police and because, as he maintained, he was in the exercise of his duties at the time of the incident.
Likewise, he rejected the versions that the agent had not shown remorse and assured that this was the impression of the plaintiff, since that aspect was not addressed during the hearing.
“Of course he is sorry,” he stated.
The hearing to determine the coercive measure was postponed until next Wednesday, with the objective that the National Police appear in the process as a civilly liable party.
