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New details have emerged about the crime that occurred in the early hours of August 11 in Havana, when the young Yosvani Hernández Meriño, known as El Moro or Pocholo, was fatally stabbed.
The information, provided by a close relative of the journalist Rolando Remedios to Café Fuerte, contradicts the initial reports that referred to a brawl during a party after winning the lottery and instead reveals a much more disturbing plot: a murder planned by two young individuals whom the victim had offered shelter to in his own home.
The family story suggests that it all began when Yosvani met Yurixandre Batista Batista, a boy from Holguín who was homeless in Havana.
Both of them met near Yosvani's workplace, where he worked as a janitor at a small and medium-sized enterprise in Centro Habana.
Moved by his situation, he offered him to stay at his house, located in the Lawton neighborhood, Diez de Octubre municipality.
Soon after, Yurixandre asked to also welcome a friend of his from the province of Granma. Yosvani's response, in keeping with his supportive nature, was again affirmative. However, that generosity would turn into the gateway to tragedy.
Murder during a blackout
According to the testimony gathered by Café Fuerte, the young people planned the crime coldly.
During a blackout, while Yosvani was in the bathroom, they hid knives under a mattress that he usually placed in the courtyard to sleep on during nights without electricity.
Upon exiting the bathroom, he was ambushed. Yurixandre grabbed him by the neck while both of them stabbed him repeatedly until they caused his death.
The body, later covered with a mattress, had between ten and fourteen stab wounds, in addition to a deep cut on the neck.
The motive for the crime was robbery: The killers made off with televisions, fans, a generator, clothing, and everything they could carry.
After packing their belongings into suitcases, they tried to take a taxi to Old Havana.
The driver, who agreed to take them for 5 thousand pesos, was surprised by the cargo. They justified it by saying it came from their grandmother's house.
Finally, unable to pay for the trip, they offered the driver three fans as compensation.
The investigation led to the recovery of all the stolen goods. The buyer is in custody, along with Yurixandre Batista Batista, who has already been arrested by the police.
However, his accomplice, a native of Granma, remains at large, although authorities claim to have located him in that province.
“Yosvani was my life, it's incredibly hard what happened, even more so because of the way he was killed,” a relative, whose identity remains confidential, stated in an interview with Café Fuerte.
The life and memory of Pocholo
Hernández Meriño was 33 years old and will be remembered not only as a victim of violence but also for his civic commitment and generosity.
He was one of the protesters on July 11, 2021, was arrested the day after the demonstrations, and was brutally beaten in the Cotorro Youth Prison, from where he was released a few days later, according to the mentioned source.
Those who knew him emphasize that he was a joyful, hardworking, and supportive man, willing to go without food in order to share it with his neighbors.
His death left an irreparable wound in his family and, especially, in his seven-year-old daughter, who is now without her father.
The news of the homicide began to circulate in fragments during the early hours of August 11. Community reports collected by the Reporte Cuba Ya page claimed that the body had been found around 4:00 a.m., with multiple stab wounds and covered with a mattress.
At that moment, testimonies suggested that the victim had celebrated at home after winning the underground lottery known as La Bolita. It was even reported that up to eight people were involved, with three arrests made in the following hours. This version has now been contradicted by Café fuerte based on information from a family source.
The crime involving Yosvani takes place within a context of increasing violence in Cuba. The Cuban Citizen Audit Observatory (OCAC) recorded a total of 1,317 criminal incidents in 2024, representing a 50.72% increase compared to 2023.
The report also warns that the figures represent an underreporting due to the lack of transparency in official channels.
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