Damian Valdez-Galloso, the sole suspect in the murder of Cuban reggaeton artist El Taiger (José Manuel Carbajal Zaldívar), was extradited to Miami International Airport on Wednesday from New York, where he was captured on October 29 after being on the run for more than 20 days.
Dressed in white and under strict security measures, Valde-Galloso underwent a thorough inspection upon landing, following the standard protocol of the authorities to ensure the safety and integrity of the process.
Throughout the transfer and the review, the defendant in the case of El Taiger's death remained silent and displayed no signs of resistance, nor did he show any indications of introspection that might suggest remorse.
A video shared by Univision journalist Javier Díaz showed that Damian's demeanor upon arriving in Miami was rather haughty. He was taken down from a patrol car in handcuffs and accompanied by two officers.
After being examined, he was placed back in the same vehicle that had transported him from the airport, and in another section of the prison, a new phase of his processing began.
"Do you have anything to say, Damián?" the mentioned communicator managed to ask, but the question went unanswered.
After taking his vital signs and completing the medical evaluation—this being the final part of the process—Damian was admitted to the Miami-Dade County jail.
Valdez-Galloso faces several charges, including second-degree murder, evidence tampering, and possession of a firearm.
Details of the crime based on the arrest report
Authorities have released a detailed report of the investigation, specifying that the defendant, after shooting at the reggaeton artist from the front door of his home, used a back door to leave the house.
At that moment, he dragged the victim by the ankles and was the one who lifted him into the vehicle where the police found El Taiger a little over an hour later.
Then, he took a few minutes to clean the crime scene and drove the vehicle until he dropped El Taiger off near the trauma center of Jackson Memorial Hospital.
The report details that El Taiger arrived at Damian's house at approximately 5:24 a.m. The shooting is said to have occurred shortly afterward.
The document specifies that, while Damian was cleaning the crime scene, El Taiger was already injured inside the vehicle.
After considering that he had erased the main traces, Damian changed his clothes and left for the hospital around 6:00 a.m.
The police received an emergency call made by Damian and arrived at 6:45 a.m., where they found El Taiger's body bleeding from the head near the intersection of Northwest 9th Avenue and 17th Street in Miami.
The reggaeton artist was transferred to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he remained in critical condition for a week before passing away on October 10, which sparked a wave of shock and mourning among his fans.
Profile of the accused and criminal record
Damian Valdez-Galloso, known by the alias "El Narra," has a documented criminal history spanning over a decade.
Between 2007 and 2018, he accumulated six convictions, including two cases for sexual relations with minors aged 16 to 17, and three for failing to register as a sex offender.
In addition, in 2018 he was convicted of grand theft and was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2015 and 2019.
He was released from prison for the last time in September 2020 and, in 2021, faced a charge of grand theft in Miami-Dade County.
Records show that, as a convicted offender, Valdez-Galloso lived in Hialeah as a registered sex offender.
The last reported address of the suspect was a coral-colored house located at the intersection of SE 5th Street and 5th Avenue.
Research and capture
The chief of police in Miami, Manuel A. Morales, confirmed at a recent press conference that Valdez-Galloso is the material author of El Taiger's murder and stated that there are no other individuals involved in the crime.
"Damian was the one who shot; he is the one responsible, and there is no other person involved," emphasized Morales.
Although not all the details have been revealed regarding how the accused was located in New York, the Miami police sent agents to the city, which led to his arrest in Queens.
Additionally, close sources indicated that there exists a surveillance video capturing the moment when El Taiger was shot and fell in front of Valdez-Galloso's house, and how he was later placed in a car. That video has not yet been released by the police.
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