Santo Domingo East. – The First Collegiate Court of Santo Domingo East sentenced Víctor de la Cruz, known as “El Menor”, to 20 years in prison after finding him guilty of the homicide of Juan Carlos Bautista, alias “Pucho”, which occurred in May 2022 in the El Tamarindo sector.
De la Cruz was declared responsible for taking Bautista’s life after shooting him on several occasions during an incident recorded on Nuestra Señora del Rosario street, as demonstrated by the Public Ministry during the trial.
The investigation, led by prosecutor Franklyn Céspedes, establishes that in the early hours of May 19, 2022, the victim had an argument with the now-convicted man, who was suspected of being involved in cell phone theft in the area. After the altercation, Bautista left the scene, but was pursued by De la Cruz, who shot him with a firearm, causing fatal wounds.
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During the trial, the prosecuting attorney Ignacio Rojas presented the evidence that established the criminal liability of the accused, who was found guilty of violating articles 295 and 304 of the Dominican Penal Code, which define homicide, as well as articles 66 and 67 of Law 631-16 on the Control of Weapons, Ammunition, and Related Materials.
The sentence was handed down by judges Elizabeth Esperanza Rodríguez Espinal and Flor E. Batista Polo, along with judge José Leonel Asencio Quezada, members of the First Collegiate Court of Santo Domingo East.
The convicted person will serve the sentence at the Las Parras Correction and Rehabilitation Center (CCR), located in the San Antonio de Guerra municipality, Santo Domingo province.
