In an unfolding investigation, Miami police have confirmed that Damián Valdez-Galloso is responsible for the murder of Cuban reggaeton artist José Manuel Carbajal, better known as El Taiger. Fresh details about the incident have come to light.
Teresa Padrón, a former manager and friend of the artist, disclosed to Telemundo 51 that Valdez was the one who called 911 after shooting El Taiger and abandoning him in his car outside Jackson Memorial Hospital. "We know Damián was driving Jose's car, circling the hospital about five times. He seemed lost or unsure of what to do, panicking over whether to enter or not," she explained. "Eventually, he parked the car, got out as another vehicle picked him up, and he made the 911 call from his phone," Padrón detailed.
The police are in possession of footage captured by a nearby residential surveillance camera, located at the intersection of SW 5th Street and 5th Avenue in Hialeah, where Valdez-Galloso had rented a house and where the incident took place. Sources indicate that the video, due to be released later, captures the moment El Taiger collapsed outside the house, followed by two individuals placing him in a vehicle.
The suspect, previously sought as a "person of interest" in the case, was apprehended on Tuesday in New York after being on the run since October 8. He will soon be transferred to Miami-Dade County for trial. "We are collaborating with state prosecutors, particularly with Prosecutor Katherine Fernández, to ensure charges are filed, and Damián pays for his crime," stated Miami Police Chief Manuel A. Morales.
Morales denied speculations that El Taiger had been tortured or involved in a revenge killing. "There is no evidence of torture; he was murdered," he emphasized. Authorities had offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to Valdez-Galloso's whereabouts. His court appearance is scheduled for November 12.
The Cuban reggaeton star was discovered on October 3 in the back of a Mercedez Benz van, with a gunshot wound to the head, outside Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital. He was pronounced dead a week later, on October 10.
Valdez-Galloso, known as 'El narra', aged 49, has an extensive criminal background. According to the Florida Department of Corrections, he was convicted of six offenses between 2007 and 2018. These include sexual relations with a minor aged 16 to 17 in 2007 and 2008, failure to register as a sex offender in 2016 and 2017, and grand theft in 2018. Additionally, he was detained by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2015 and 2019, with his most recent release from prison being on September 2, 2020. The following year, he faced charges of grand theft in Miami-Dade.