The Miami-Dade Police Department has released the arrest report for Damian Valdez-Galloso, the sole suspect in the murder of Cuban reggaeton artist José Manuel Carbajal Zaldívar, widely known as El Taiger. Although the report is brief and leaves several questions unanswered, it specifies that El Taiger arrived at Damian's residence around 5:24 a.m. on October 3. However, the document does not clarify the singer's demeanor upon arrival or describe the exchange between the two before the fatal shot was fired.
The report indicates that Damian fired a shot at the victim's forehead from inside the house. Following this, the accused exited through the back door, dragged El Taiger's body by the ankles to a Mercedes Benz SUV, and left it there. Damian then cleaned up the crime scene, changed clothes, and headed towards the Jackson Memorial Hospital trauma center around 6:00 a.m. He made an emergency call to the police, who arrived at approximately 6:45 a.m.
Officers found El Taiger's body, with a gunshot wound to the head, near the intersection of Northwest 9th Avenue and 17th Street in Miami. Contrary to initial assumptions that hours had passed, it was actually less than an hour and a half between El Taiger's arrival at Damian's home and the discovery of his body by the police. This brief period, however, was enough for the bullet wound to make recovery impossible.
The reggaeton artist was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he remained in critical condition for a week before succumbing to his injuries on October 10. His death sent shockwaves through his fanbase, plunging them into mourning. On Wednesday, Damian was extradited to Miami from New York and appeared in Miami-Dade criminal court on Thursday, where Judge Mindy S. Glazer denied him bail.
Insights from the Investigation and Expert Commentary
In a live broadcast on Facebook, Univision journalist Mario Vallejo clarified on Thursday that there is no evidence suggesting anyone assisted Damian in moving the body. Vallejo noted that the fact that El Taiger's pants were around his knees—leading to unfounded rumors of assault—could have resulted from Damian's effort to drag the body, inadvertently pulling down the reggaeton artist's pants.
Vallejo also reported that police revisited the crime scene on Wednesday to collect additional evidence from Damian's residence following an interview with the suspect. He attempted to obtain clarification from the police about any potential crime occurring inside Damian's home at the time of El Taiger's arrival, possibly explaining why he didn’t call the police to stop El Taiger's behavior, which, according to the report, was not "friendly."
However, Vallejo expressed skepticism that Damian’s lawyer could argue self-defense, as El Taiger was unarmed. The journalist also pointed out the prosecution's lack of evidence to charge the murder as "premeditated," resulting in a second-degree murder charge—which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years—rather than first-degree murder, which involves premeditation and is punishable by life imprisonment or the death penalty.
"It seems to have been a spontaneous confrontation between the two individuals," Vallejo concluded, yet he warned that if Damian is found guilty, he faces a lengthy prison sentence, given his extensive criminal history. Valdez-Galloso is facing three charges: second-degree murder, evidence tampering, and firearm possession.
The Criminal Background of Damian Valdez-Galloso
Damian Valdez-Galloso, also known as "El Narra," has a documented criminal history spanning over a decade. Between 2007 and 2018, he accumulated six convictions, including two cases involving sexual relations with minors aged 16 to 17, and three for failing to register as a sex offender. Moreover, in 2018, he was convicted of grand theft, and was detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2015 and 2019.
He was last released from prison in September 2020, and in 2021, faced a grand theft charge in Miami-Dade County. Records show that as a convicted felon, Valdez-Galloso lived in Hialeah as a registered sex offender. His last reported address was a coral-colored house located at the intersection of SE 5th Street and 5th Avenue.