Damian Valdez Galloso appeared again this Wednesday before the Miami-Dade criminal court in a new status hearing for the case concerning the murder of the Cuban reggaeton artist José Manuel Carvajal Zaldívar, known as El Taiger.
Although the public court records indicated a possible guilty plea, that did not happen, as reported by journalist Maylín Legaño for Telemundo 51.
The defense attorney explained that the team is still in full preparation: "We are going to reassess where we stand from the perspective of the defense to determine who we will present as witnesses."
This stance contrasts with the statements made by the same lawyer in July, when he emphasized that his client is not seeking any agreement.
"He is an innocent man; what we want is to defend him, not to reach agreements," he said.
The defense argues that Valdez Galloso acted in legitimate defense and points to another person as the one responsible for the shot.
New date: November 10th
After the hearing this Wednesday, the judge scheduled a new court date for November 10, 2026, as a follow-up hearing before the trial.
At the moment, the trial is still scheduled for March 2027.
The process has accumulated a long series of delays.
The original date was September 15, 2026, but it was dismissed in the July hearing and moved to early 2027, partly due to the complexity of coordinating evidence among three police departments: Miami, Hialeah, and the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office.
More serious and handcuffed: the change in the defendant's attitude
One of the most notable aspects of this brief appearance on Wednesday was the visible change in Valdez Galloso's attitude compared to his presentation on July 28.
In that July hearing, the accused appeared proud and smiling while talking to his lawyer at the end of the session, an attitude that caused discomfort among the artist's followers and his surroundings.
This Wednesday, however, he appeared significantly more serious and with his hands cuffed, showing no trace of the attitude displayed in the previous hearing.
The eldest daughter of El Taiger, Yaliet Caridad Carvajal, had expressed her pain after the hearing in July in amessage posted on social media, stating that seeing the accused smile "broke her heart."
The charges and the evidence from the prosecution
Valdez Galloso faces three charges: first-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The prosecutor's office has ruled out requesting the death penalty and is seeking mandatory life imprisonment, with between 15 and 20 witnesses expected for the trial.
Among the evidence are recordings from security cameras, DNA samples, more than 1,200 forensic photographs, and a 911 call in which the accused allegedly pretended to be a witness who found the vehicle with the victim.
According to the prosecutor's office, Valdez Galloso shot El Taiger in the forehead on October 3, 2024, in Hialeah, transported his body in a black Mercedes-Benz, and abandoned it in front of Jackson Memorial Hospital. The artist, 37 years old, passed away seven days later at that same medical facility.
Teresa Padrón and the Demand for Justice
The former manager of the reggaeton artist, Teresa Padrón, has been the most persistent voice calling for justice and keeps the memorial dedicated to El Taiger active in front of the hospital where the artist passed away.
After the hearing in July, Padrón acknowledged the emotional impact of seeing the defendant in the courtroom: "Obviously, today Damián appeared physically in court for the first time, and just like the first time, it affected me quite a bit."
With the next hearing scheduled for November 10, 2026, the process is moving toward the trial expected in March 2027, while the family and fans of El Taiger hope that justice will finally be served.
As of the closing of this note, Teresa Padrón has not commented on the appearance on September 2nd.
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