Justice for murdered married couple La Guáyiga: MP imposes sentences of 15 and 30 years on those responsible

Santo Domingo.- The Santo Domingo Oeste Court imposed sentences of 15 and 30 years in prison on those responsible for the murder of the couple Luis Miguel Jáquez Rodríguez, 32, and Elizabeth Almarante Pacheco, 24, which occurred in 2023 in La Guáyiga. The event that shocked the entire country was perpetrated by Leonardo Alejandro Mercedes Mojica, alias “Nardo the Hitman”, and Dylan Alberto Ortiz, who were sentenced to 30 years in prison. While José Alfredo Ventura, alias “Tupete”, owner of the hotel where the crime was committed, received a sentence of 15 years. They will all serve their sentences in Najayo prison, where they have been held since their arrest. In an interview conducted by Noticias SIN, the victims’ families highlighted that the sentence represents a step towards justice after years of anguish and pain.

“No sentence will bring my son back, but I felt very grateful, first to God, then to the judge and the prosecution. Those 30 years are well deserved”, expressed Carmen Miguelina Rodríguez, mother of Luis Miguel, through tears.

Account of the facts:

The case that shook the country due to the cruelty of the events began on January 24, 2023, when the couple disappeared without a trace from their home located in La Guáyiga, Pedro Brand municipality.

Several pieces of evidence were found in the couple’s house that, according to the authorities, linked them to electronic crime (RD$193,000 and 12 credit and debit cards). But Luis Miguel’s father specified that he was a merchant and lender, so the handling of large sums of cash was “normal”. After almost two weeks of searching, two decomposing bodies were found on February 6 inside a septic tank in Los Alcarrizos, bound with adhesive tape, with signs of torture and gunshot wounds. They were recognized by their relatives by several tattoos and dental tests.

Involved:

The investigations by the Public Ministry established that the crime was carried out by a gang in which Leonardo Méndez Mojica, Dylan Ortiz, José Alfredo Ventura Túpete, José Miguel Álvarez Ramírez alias “Bebé” and Eddy Manuel Álvarez Ramírez alias “Moreno” participated. The latter were killed by National Police agents in June 2024 in an alleged exchange of gunfire.” According to authorities, Luis Miguel was murdered in room number 2 of the Cayao hotel in Boca Chica, owned by Ventura. Then his body was put in a gray Hyundai Tucson jeep, rented by Dylan Ortiz. Later, they moved to La Guáyiga, right to the house where the couple lived, proceeded to the kidnapping and murder of Elizabeth, who was a chemistry teacher. From there they went to La Esperanza in Los Alcarrizos, where they were thrown into a septic tank on a vacant lot. Members of the National Police managed to track the vehicle and after investigations, the main perpetrators were arrested. Two rifles were seized from Leonardo Mojica, which were determined to have been used in the crime, while Ortiz was arrested upon arrival from the United States, after the OCN-Interpol issued an arrest warrant. At the time, the authorities handled several hypotheses. The truth is that the file, instructed by prosecutor Manuel Medrano, describes a chain of events planned with precision and executed with extreme violence.