Santo Domingo.– The judge of the First Instruction Court of the National District, Raymundo Mejía, will announce next Monday, June 15 his decision regarding the request to open a trial against siblings Antonio and Maribel Espaillat, accused of the collapse of the Jet Set nightclub roof.
The decision will be issued after the conclusion of the preliminary hearing, a procedural stage in which the court evaluated the accusation presented by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the documentary and expert evidence provided by the parties, as well as the arguments of the victims, plaintiffs, and defense attorneys.
The prosecuting body attributes to the owners of the entertainment center the alleged commission of involuntary manslaughter, maintaining that for years they allowed the establishment to operate under conditions of structural negligence and authorized the installation of heavy equipment on the roof without having the corresponding technical studies.
The preliminary hearing was marked by several postponements intended to guarantee the right to a defense, the proper presentation of evidence, and the participation of all parties involved in the process. During the hearings, family members of the victims and legal representatives of those affected by the collapse that occurred in the early hours of April 8, 2025, were also heard.
You can also read: Expert report presented by the Espaillats attributes tragedy
One of the most relevant elements incorporated into the file was an expert report presented by the defense of the Espaillat brothers. According to that technical report, the collapse of the structure would not have been caused by an overload on the roof, but by hidden construction flaws and progressive deterioration accumulated over time.
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The magistrate’s resolution will define whether there is sufficient evidence for the case to proceed to the trial phase, a scenario in which the criminal responsibilities derived from one of the most shocking tragedies to occur in an entertainment center in the Dominican Republic will have to be debated.
Lawyer Laura Acosta, representing some of the victims, has pointed out that one of the main points of discussion is not the opening of the trial, but the legal classification of the facts. Some plaintiffs have requested that the charge be modified from involuntary manslaughter to voluntary manslaughter, which would imply a significant change in the severity of the charges and the potential criminal consequences.
If the opening of a trial is ordered, the process will enter a new stage that is anticipated to be extensive and complex, due to the number of victims, witnesses, experts, and evidence that must be examined by the competent court.
