The First Criminal Chamber of the Provincial People's Court of Santiago de Cuba sentenced Guillermo Sánchez Gutiérrez to life imprisonment for the murder of an auxiliary officer of the National Revolutionary Police (PNR) in the municipality of Palma Soriano, as reported this Saturday by the official newspaper Sierra Maestra.
The events that led to the conviction occurred on July 19, 2025, when the defendant attacked the chief of the local PNR subsector with a knife while he was off-duty at the time of the assault.
After the first attack, the victim tried to take refuge in a neighbor's house, but Sánchez Gutiérrez chased her, broke down the front door, and inflicted another seven wounds to the abdomen, back, and legs, which caused her death.
The court classified the proceedings as a "public, oral, and exemplary trial" and applied the aggravating circumstance outlined in Article 80 of the Cuban Penal Code, which refers to acting out of vengeance or retaliation. This factor was decisive in imposing the maximum sentence of life imprisonment instead of a sentence of 20 to 30 years.
"Sánchez Gutiérrez found the victim at a neighbor's house and unexpectedly assaulted him, causing a deep wound in one of his legs, declaring that it would be the last time he would summon him. Despite the injury, the auxiliary of the PNR continued to run for about 60 meters and took refuge in another neighbor's house, where he was pursued by the assailant, who, after breaking down the door, inflicted seven more wounds on his abdomen, back, and legs," reported Sierra Maestra.
The charges brought were murder —Article 344 of the Penal Code—, invasion of privacy, and threats
A similar case had been preliminarily reported in July 2025, involving a victim identified only as "Yoleysi," who was described as going to deliver a summons when he was attacked. The court's ruling now confirms the facts and the identity of the convicted individual.
In Cuba, life imprisonment entails lifelong confinement in a high or maximum-security prison, according to Ley 151/2022.
Individuals serving this sentence do not have the right to temporary leave, although they may progress to a lower level of imprisonment after five and ten years of good behavior, without this implying their freedom.
This is not the first case of this kind in the province. In February 2026, the same Provincial People's Tribunal of Santiago de Cuba sentenced three men to life imprisonment for murdering a motorcyclist to steal and sell the parts of his motorcycle, also under Article 344 of the Penal Code, which demonstrates a pattern of applying this maximum penalty in cases of murder with aggravating circumstances in that province.
Related videos:
Filed under: