The killer of a Cuban woman in Pinar del Río had murdered a teenager and had served seven years of a 20-year sentence.

When the news broke on Tuesday about the murder of the Cuban woman Jéssica Castillo in Pinar del Río, it was reported that the perpetrator of the crime was her partner, who was on parole for a similar crime.

Hours later, more details of that incident are known. The victim, named Emelinda Hernández Santiago, was only 16 years old.

Twelve years later, his killer has just murdered Jessica, a 32-year-old mother of three young children.

The gender-based violence observatories YoSíTeCreo en Cuba (YSTCC) and Alas Tensas (OGAT) reported that the murderer served only about seven years of a 20-year prison sentence.

Residents of San Luis, in Pinar del Río, do not forget the events of August 31, 2011, when the violent death of Emelinda, only 16 years old, at the hands of her then partner, who she had previously reported for an attempted femicide, occurred," say the messages on Facebook.

The platforms recalled that in 2011 photos of the crime scene circulated on USB drives, due to the misconduct of the authorities and unscrupulous individuals.

YoSíTeCreo en Cuba and Alas Tensas sent their condolences to Emelinda's family, "who once again feel the irreparable loss, the injustice, and the impunity, 12 years later".

On the other hand, the crime reporter Niover Licea identified the criminal as Roilan Orjales, who allegedly slit the throat of the teenager in the rented room where they both lived in 2011.

Women's rights organizations wonder how it is possible that such a dangerous individual has returned to the streets.

Laws in Cuba still lack an adequate approach to issues such as gender-based violence and other types of violence, which require comprehensive and preventive approaches. Measures such as mandatory therapies and psychological assessments (prior to granting parole) are not considered in the judicial or prison systems. In fact, the country lacks resources and established protocols for addressing aggressors, they reported.

Jéssica Castillo was murdered on Saturday, June 15. The day before, Liset Quesada Romero, 33 years old and mother of two children, was killed by her partner in Bejucal, Mayabeque.

Alba Delia Sánchez Benítez, 58 years old, was murdered on June 16 by her former partner while she was at her workplace, the student residence Dr. Fermín Valdés Domínguez, in El Cotorro, Havana.

With these three crimes that occurred within 72 hours, the number of femicides in Cuba reached 28 before the end of the first semester of 2024.