Next June 5 could mark the closing of the trial for the death of the child Gioser Félix in Santiago

Santiago.-More than three years after the crime that shocked the Dominican Republic, the trial for the death of the child Gioser Luis Féliz entered its decisive phase this Wednesday, after the First Collegiate Tribunal of the Judicial District of Santiago exhausted a large part of the evidence and testimonies against the six defendants in the case. The hearing concluded with the reproduction of audiovisual and material evidence, practically leaving the process ready for the final intervention of the defense, scheduled for June 5, a date that could bring closer the expected judicial outcome of the case that shook the country in April 2023. The family’s lawyer, Andrés Toribio, assured that the trial is already more than halfway through and stated that the victims maintain the hope of obtaining a conviction in the coming weeks. “All the witnesses have already been heard and all the evidence has been presented before the court. We believe that justice will be served next month”, the jurist expressed as he left the courtroom.

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One of the most emotional moments occurred when the minor’s father, Sergio Luis Félix, expressed the emotional toll that the legal process has taken on him after multiple postponements. “I’m tired of coming here. Each hearing forces me to relive everything again. The only thing I want is justice,” he declared, visibly affected. From his side, defense attorney Carlos Villanueva, representing the accused Tomás Peña Morel, explained that the extension of the trial responds to the complexity of the file, the amount of evidence, and the number of people involved in the process. He indicated that this corresponds to the seventh hearing and did not rule out new sessions before the final conclusions, because six defendants, ten lawyers and the Public Prosecutor’s Office are involved in the case. The event occurred on April 19, 2023, when the child was returning with his father and the latter’s partner from the Cibao International Airport. While traveling on the Circunvalación Norte, the vehicle they were in was shot at during a presumed robbery attempt, causing the death of the minor. For the crime, Derlyn Javier Mercado Martínez, César Junior Ulloa Cuevas, Luis Ángel Vargas Brito, José Manuel Almonte Santana and Elián Martínez Sánchez are being prosecuted, in addition to Tomás Peña Morel.