A couple received harsh sentences this week in the province of Cienfuegos after being found guilty of the premeditated murder of Yoilén de la Caridad Acosta Torriente, an 18-year-old Cuban girl who was murdered on January 29, 2023, allegedly to rob her.
The accused were Alnier Chao Navarro, sentenced to life imprisonment; and his wife, Yarelquis Aguilar Duarte, who was sentenced to 23 years in prison.
"After examining the documentary and expert evidence, as well as the testimony of fifteen witnesses, including the victim's mother, the judges sentenced Alnier Chao Navarro to life imprisonment, considering that he committed this act with premeditation while he was on probation for a previous offense of burglary," reported the local newspaper 5 de Septiembre.
The source added that Yarelquis Aguilar Duarte was sentenced to 23 years in prison “for her co-authorship and participation in the events.”
However, the Court decided to adjust the sentence in her case, as she is a sick woman and was involved in the commission of a crime for the first time.
The official source specified that the sentences were imposed according to what is established in Article 344, section g) of the Penal Code, which sets penalties of "imprisonment for twenty to thirty years, life imprisonment or death, for anyone who kills another person"; in this particular case with the aggravating factor of "premeditation."
Details of the crime
During the public trial, it emerged that after casually meeting the young woman and exchanging phone numbers, the murderer plotted the crime to steal several pieces of gold jewelry from the victim and then sell them.
According to his wife, Alnier Chao Navarro called Yoilén for a meeting that took place at his residence, and there he struck her on the back of the neck and then suffocated her.
After committing the crime, the couple moved the corpse in a bag -hidden in a suitcase- to a sugarcane field located on the Cruces-Marta Abreu road, where they set fire to the body in order to eliminate any evidence.
However, the trail of verified phone calls brought the two killers into the police's focus.
Just two days after the crime, on January 31, 2023, Chao Navarro admitted to the police his responsibility in the incident.
The remains of Yoilén were found completely charred between two furrows in a cane field.
The official source clarified that in addition to the imposed penalties, the First Criminal Chamber of the People's Tribunal of Cienfuegos “imposed accessory sanctions, consisting of the prohibition for both offenders of their rights and of leaving the national territory,” as well as “the confiscation of the goods seized in relation to a crime that shocked the citizenry.”
Increase in violence in Cuba
After many months of constant reports on social media indicating an increase in all types of violence in Cuba, in July of this year, Miguel Díaz-Canel finally confirmed the rise in violence, crime, and addictions in the country, in the context of what he described as an "adverse socioeconomic scenario."
During the closing speech of the third session of the National Assembly in its tenth legislature, the leader referenced a greater rigor in legal, criminal, and penitentiary treatment, especially in cases of those indicted, accused, or sanctioned for crimes with high social harm.
However, despite the aforementioned "efforts," he acknowledged that "the situation regarding crime, corruption, illegalities, and social indiscipline continues to be complex."
What do you think?
COMMENTFiled under:
