Prosecutor's Office investigates the murder of a minor in Havana: Accused held in pretrial detention

The Provincial Prosecutor's Office of Havana reported today that it is investigating a murder that occurred last Saturday, March 21 in Reparto Guiteras (known as Bahía), in the municipality of East Havana, where the victim is a minor.

The official note, published this Saturday by the Attorney General's Office, states that the criminal process is being handled by the organs of the Ministry of the Interior and that the agency exercises direct control over the investigation.

"Under the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Law, the Prosecutor's Office has placed the accused, a Cuban citizen, under provisional detention, who was unemployed at the time of the events. Investigative proceedings are being carried out to gather evidence," the statement reads, which does not provide further details about the incident.

“Respecting the rights and guarantees enshrined in the Constitution and laws, the Prosecutor's Office will exercise public criminal action before the Court for adjudication, requesting severe penalties corresponding to the seriousness of the facts and the circumstances in which they occurred, of which it will provide timely information,” it adds.

This week, independent media reported the murder of Gabriela Herrera Rodríguez, a seven-year-old girl. Organizations monitoring gender-based violence in Cuba classified the case as child femicide.

The crime occurred on March 21 in the Reparto Chibás neighborhood, municipality of Guanabacoa, Havana.

“On the evening of March 21, Gabriela left her home in Reparto Chibás and did not return. Her mother organized a search in the area, along with family members and neighbors. By nightfall, the girl's body was found in the vicinity of the neighborhood, near the home of the suspected assailant. She showed signs of extreme violence and possible evidence of other assaults. The alleged perpetrator, a neighbor from the same neighborhood, was arrested in Guanabacoa after the discovery,” reported the independent media Alas Tensas.

CiberCuba has not been able to confirm whether it is the same case.

Just days earlier, Katherine Cruz Aguilera, 14 years old, was murdered in La Tunas.

The context of public insecurity in the country is alarming. Independent reports document 1,319 crimes in Cuba, a figure that quintupled previous records, highlighting the serious deterioration of public order on the island.