Mislady Morell, a relative of two of the four individuals brutally murdered on August 24 in Ceballos, Ciego de Ávila, is calling for the death penalty for the three suspects detained in connection with the horrific crime. Among them is a confessed killer, Leudys Romero, and two alleged accomplices known locally in Santo Tomás as El Colorao and El Kiut, although other sources refer to him as El Buti. "The four-year-old child was tortured," Morell declared in an interview with CiberCuba.
Morell is the cousin of Raysa Rodríguez Pérez de Corcho, aged 50, who was killed alongside her teenage son, Lester Rivadeneira Rodríguez, 17. The grisly details of their deaths, which occurred as they attempted to help their neighbor Yamila Reyes Tamayo, 29, and her young son, Richard Dariel Núñez, compel Morell to demand the ultimate punishment for the perpetrators.
Unimaginable Brutality
The tragic discovery was made on the morning of August 24 by Raysa Rodríguez's daughter, who arrived at her mother's house and found the bodies in the backyard. Lester Rivadeneira suffered multiple stab wounds and was viciously cut from neck to abdomen, exposing his internal organs. Yamila Reyes Tamayo was also discovered lifeless outside her home.
According to family accounts, the young boy endured a prolonged and torturous ordeal. Before he was fatally struck on the head, his ear was slashed, his arms cut, and one of his legs was "mutilated." These acts were allegedly intended to coerce his mother into revealing where she might have hidden money, which the attackers assumed her husband had concealed in the home.
Crime Planned in Advance
The entire ordeal transpired in less than an hour. Yamila Reyes's husband had departed for work at 6:10 a.m., and by 7:00 a.m., Raysa Rodríguez's daughter stumbled upon the gruesome scene, promptly alerting the police. The robbery appeared to have been premeditated for a month. Leudys Romero, the confessed murderer, had been helping Reyes's husband on his farm in Ceballos and was seen by Raysa Rodríguez at the house during the family's absence. When questioned, he falsely claimed to be watching over the property.
The subsequent investigation revealed that one of the accomplices had 50,000 pesos in his possession, linking him to the crime, although both El Colorao and El Kiut vehemently deny involvement. Meanwhile, Romero, showing no remorse, insists he did not act alone.
Awaiting Justice
The date for the trial of the Ceballos crime remains undetermined, leaving the family in distress and uncertainty about the full events of that tragic morning in August 2024. Although the death penalty is technically possible under the Cuban Penal Code, which was updated in 2022, its use has been dormant since 2003 following a moratorium after the execution of three young men for attempting to flee to the United States.
While the Code permits capital punishment for murder, its application is generally reserved for terrorism, mercenary activities, or threats to the regime's stability. The gruesome nature of this crime has reignited discussions about its potential reinstatement.