Mislady Morell, who identified herself as the cousin of Raysa Rodríguez, the 50-year-old woman murdered along with her son and two other people, one of them a child, last week in Ceballos, Ciego de Ávila, is demanding justice for the victims. She asserts that the perpetrators: "not even the death penalty is enough to pay for what they did."
In a heart-wrenching video posted on Facebook this week, Morell shared harrowing details of the incident. Through tears, she expressed that very little has come to light about the tremendous "abuse committed against those four people."
"I am so angry, I feel so much rage, so much impotence [...] What those people did is beyond words. What they did is unprecedented," Morell remarked, adding that she received photos of her relatives in their coffins, which deeply affected her.
"This cousin grew up with my sister and me. She was a very close cousin. When my mom passed away, she came every weekend to spend time with my sister and me at my grandparents' house. When she didn't come, I went to her house," she added, visibly emotional, referencing the close bond she had with her cousin.
Although Mislady resides in the United States, she referred to gruesome details of the horror the victims endured, details relayed to her by her relatives in Ceballos. "Every piece of news I receive is more intense and more painful. They tortured the little boy while he was still alive, cut off his legs, and made cuts on his head. It's so intense, I still can't process this," she said, clearly distraught over the brutality towards the four-year-old boy, a neighbor of her cousin, who was allegedly tortured to make the mother reveal the hiding place of the money they intended to steal.
"They cut open my teenage cousin from top to bottom, slashing him all over [...] I am so angry and helpless," Mislady Morell concluded before ending the video in tears.
Shocking Quadruple Murder
In a truly shocking and unprecedented event in Cuba, on the morning of August 24, two women who were neighbors and their two children, both minors and one just four years old, were brutally murdered.
The incident occurred between 6:00 and 7:00 a.m. last Saturday in the "old bakery" neighborhood of Ceballos, after the father of the four-year-old left for work at his farm. The motive behind the crime was the theft of one million pesos that one of the families had stored in their home.
Raysa Rodríguez (50 years old) and Lester Rivadeneira Rodríguez (17) rushed to help Yamila Reyes Tamayo (29) and her son Richard Dariel Núñez (4) after hearing screams from a neighboring house. All four were brutally murdered, as previously described.
The incident has caused deep shock among Cubans, who are struggling to comprehend such a high level of violence.
Faced with the public outcry over the quadruple murder, the state-run media, which typically ignores cases of murder and other serious crimes, was forced to respond. Although initially, a pair of 26-year-old twin siblings were suspected, this week the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) mentioned only one arrest without disclosing the suspect's name.
Details on the Ceballos Quadruple Murder
Given the tragic nature of this event, many questions have arisen concerning the details and the ongoing investigation. Below, we address some of the most pressing inquiries.
What was the motive behind the Ceballos murders?
The primary motive behind the murders was the theft of one million pesos that one of the families had stored in their home.
Who were the victims in the Ceballos murders?
The victims were Raysa Rodríguez (50), her son Lester Rivadeneira Rodríguez (17), their neighbor Yamila Reyes Tamayo (29), and her son Richard Dariel Núñez (4).
Has anyone been arrested in connection with the Ceballos murders?
The Ministry of the Interior (MININT) has mentioned one arrest but has not disclosed the suspect's name.