The young man from Santiago, Elio Delis Hardy, 31 years old, was stabbed to death in the early hours of the new year, as confirmed by independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada. The deceased lived in the El Salao neighborhood of the Abel Santamaría district in Santiago de Cuba, leaving behind a six-year-old son.
The incident reportedly took place in a building in Micro II and was committed by a young man who has already been identified and was accompanied by others at the time of the events. According to a friend of Elio Delis, the murder was allegedly motivated by the sale of a phone. On social media, the deceased had shared advertisements for buying and selling phones and batteries two years ago.
It is unknown whether the killer has been apprehended.
Family members of the deceased have expressed their sorrow on social media without providing further details about what happened.
A Facebook user who goes by the name Erina Arianna Frómeta blames the government for the rise in violence on the Island. "Murders continue in Santiago de Cuba. It seems to be becoming a trend to kill people for any reason. The government isn't taking strong measures, and in just a few years, murderers are back on the streets for good behavior. They keep killing and stealing. Insecurity is growing even in our own homes. You can't own anything of value. I'm truly at a loss for words," she wrote in Mayeta's post.
In the same vein, Gerardo Noa urges the police to focus on targeting murderers and thieves, who threaten the safety of the streets, instead of pursuing those who sell fongos. Pedro Lugones, for his part, hopes that this year the Penal Code in Cuba will be amended to curb the rising levels of public insecurity.
Rising Crimes
On December 29, the Cuban regime had no choice but to acknowledge that crime remains high in the country, following a year in which social media has been filled with reports of various violent incidents while state-controlled media remain silent on most cases. According to the Communist Party, the trend is one of decrease, although they provide no data to support this claim.
In the first six months of the year that has just ended, 432 crimes were reported, averaging 2.37 crimes per day, significantly surpassing the figures reported for the same period in 2023. Among the crimes, there were 91 homicides, 260 thefts, 39 assaults, 29 acts of aggression, and 13 cases classified as other crimes. These figures come from the Cuban Citizen Audit Observatory (OCAC) published in August.
It was not until the end of the year that the killers of a security guard at an agricultural farm of the Ministry of Sugar (MINAZ) in El Cristo, Santiago de Cuba, were apprehended. According to the official press, they were captured and confessed to the crime. The victim was violently attacked and unexpectedly by one of his own coworkers during the shift, with the intention of stealing three oxen, slaughtering them, and selling the meat.
In contrast, Adrián Cruz Hidalgo remains a fugitive from justice, identified as the perpetrator of a double homicide in the province of Cienfuegos on May 28. Authorities have not provided any updates on the case.
In December, one of the individuals involved in the murder of the Peña Sablón family was also apprehended. This tragic event took place in November in the municipality of San Luis, Santiago de Cuba, and claimed the lives of a couple and their child. One of the assailants has been captured.
One of the most shocking events last December was the discovery on Acosta Avenue, near the intersection with José de la Luz y Caballero Street, close to the Mónaco, in the municipality of October 10, of a man's lifeless body with a stab wound to the chest. He was seated in an armchair positioned in front of a pharmacy.
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