Three months of pre-trial detention against US citizen accused of killing a man and injuring another in Santiago

Santiago, RD — The Permanent Attention Office of the judicial district of Santiago imposed three months of preventive detention against Allyson Ernesto Meteo, 38 years old and of American nationality, accused of shooting a man to death and injuring another in a violent incident recorded on January 1 in the Matanzas sector, of the municipality of Puñal, in this city. The measure was dictated on the night of Wednesday by Judge Yiberty Polanco, who accepted the request presented by the Public Ministry, which attributes to the accused the death of Enmanuel Payano Rosario, 40 years old, and the gunshot wounds inflicted on young Carlos Gabriel Rosario Rosario, 29 years old.

Read more: Court imposes house arrest and preventive detention in Cobra Senasa case

According to the preliminary investigation, Meteo arrived at the scene to claim a supposed debt of RD$2,000, a situation that led to a discussion between the parties and culminated in a burst of gunfire, leaving a balance of one dead and one seriously injured. The court ordered that Meteo comply with the coercion in the penitentiary center designated by the system, taking into account reasons of capacity and security.

The lawyer for the victim’s family, Monchy Estrella, described the court’s decision as legal and proportional to the seriousness of the facts, noting that the case involves crimes such as homicide, attempted murder, and illegal possession of a firearm. Estrella announced that the measure will be reviewed on April 14 and anticipated that they will seek for the defendant to face the maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.

“The fact is neither minor nor accidental; it is a crime that grieves a family and shakes society. Political or economic pressures are not valid here. The fundamental thing is that the person responsible is in prison and must answer to justice,” said the lawyer. For their part, the technical defense, led by Nelson Abreu, assured that the Public Ministry is hiding key evidence, including videos that, they allege, would demonstrate that what happened was a brawl with multiple armed participants, and not a direct attack by the accused. Despite these approaches, the court granted the Prosecution three additional months to deepen the investigation of the case. The judicial process remains in the investigation stage, while Meteo remains under preventive detention, awaiting the review hearing and the next steps in the development of the case.