A court in Nevada sentenced the Cuban José Emilio Galán Preval, 47, to between 14 and 35 years in prison for the femicide of his partner Yaimara Leyva-Cadet in Las Vegas, a crime he committed on January 23 after a domestic argument.
Galán Preval, a doctor and native of Santiago de Cuba, had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon, which allowed him to reach an agreement with the prosecution that set a base sentence of between 10 and 25 years.
The district judge Jacqueline Bluth rejected the additional 20 years requested by Clark County Deputy District Attorney Phil Froehlich for the weapon enhancement, instead imposing an additional sentence of four to ten years, resulting in a total sentence of between 14 and 35 years.
According to a report by Las Vegas Review-Journal, the public defender for the accused, Jin Kim-Steadman, stated in court that Yaimara was unemployed and refused to do manual work, despite being "qualified" to do so, while Galán-Preval was employed.
The lawyer noted that this caused problems in their relationship and psychological stress for Galan-Preval, in addition to her belief that he was cheating on her.
Both had emigrated to the United States from Cuba with the hope of a better life and a fresh start, the lawyer stated, specifying that "she became more controlling" and "demanded that (José Emilio) show her his phone."
On the day of the crime, the couple was in a house on the 1800 block of Canosa Avenue, where they were renting a room.
Galán Preval asked Yaimara to prepare rice, she refused, and he briefly left the room to return with a kitchen knife with which he stabbed her repeatedly.
The son of the homeowner heard the cries for help, entered the living room, and disarmed the attacker. He simply stated, "I am responsible for what I did," and fled through the back door in a truck registered in his wife's name.
The police received a distress call around 12:56 PM. Upon arriving at the residence, they found Leyva-Cadet inside with multiple stab wounds to the face and back.
The victim, originally from Palma Soriano and a healthcare worker, was transferred to Sunrise Hospital, where she died that same day.
Hours later, Galán Preval called 911, expressing intentions to harm himself. The police traced his phone, located him in a desert area east of Las Vegas, and arrested him after he surrendered without resistance.
The defense also pointed out that he had been drinking alcohol and was getting ready to go to work when the argument took place.
During the hearing, Galán Preval apologized through an interpreter: "I would have preferred to be in her place instead of her. I ask for forgiveness from this country that allowed me to enter. I am very sorry."
Judge Bluth acknowledged the complexity of the case when delivering her sentence: "I recognize that Mr. Galán Preval took responsibility immediately, expressed his deep remorse from the very beginning, and has no criminal record, and I believe he simply lost control. It has been difficult to reconcile these factors because it is a horrific way to die."
The case fits into a documented pattern of femicidal violence against Cuban women abroad.
According to a study by the Observatorio de Alas Tensas and Yo Sí Te Creo en Cuba, in 2025 there were twelve femicides of Cuban women abroad, six of which occurred in the United States. In 2024, the number rose to 18 cases abroad, with 14 taking place on U.S. soil, accounting for 77.8% of the total.
Las Vegas has been the scene of at least two fatal domestic violence cases involving Cubans this year. In April, another Cuban was arrested in that city accused of strangling his wife during a domestic dispute.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States note that more than half of the women who are homicide victims in that country are killed by a current or former male partner.
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