A Cuban man who was temporarily working on the home of Damian Valdez-Galloso has revealed that he saw Damian on the morning of the shooting involving El Taiger. This witness might have been one of the last individuals to interact with Damian before he fled. "It was around 10 or 11 in the morning when I last saw him. He opened the door and left," the man, who remained unnamed, shared with Univision.
An intriguing detail shared by this worker is that Damian refused to let him work on his bedroom bathroom. "He told me I couldn't 'do' the bathroom because he had a lot of money in there... 'No, because I have a lot of money in there,' he used to say," the worker recounted. The employee responded, "Well, brother, put it in the bank or if you don't want to, 'I won't do the bathroom for you.'"
When asked about Damian's temperament, the former worker described him as moody in the mornings but more relaxed as the day went on. "He was like a pitbull in the morning, kind of mellow by noon, and by evening, he was happy," he stated.
Speculations on El Taiger's Movement
As to whether Damian had the strength to move El Taiger's substantial body—a point the police don't doubt—the witness said, "There's a gym out back... but I don't know, because sometimes he'd say his arm was messed up." According to Univision reporters Javier Díaz and Mario Vallejo, friends of the victim doubt Damian could have loaded El Taiger into the vehicle by himself. "I can't say if he moved the body alone, but everything will be revealed later," responded one source who chose to stay anonymous.
Details from the Arrest Report
The Miami-Dade Police released the arrest report of Damian Valdez-Galloso, the sole suspect in the murder of Cuban reggaeton artist José Manuel Carbajal Zaldívar, known as El Taiger. Although brief and somewhat vague, the report states that El Taiger arrived at Damian's residence at approximately 5:24 a.m. on October 3rd. The document doesn't specify El Taiger's behavior upon arrival or the nature of their interaction before the shooting.
The report reveals only that from inside the house, Damian shot the victim in the forehead. Subsequently, the accused exited through a back door, dragged El Taiger's body by the ankles to a Mercedes Benz SUV, loaded him into the vehicle, and left him there. Damian then cleaned the crime scene, changed his clothes, and headed toward the vicinity of Jackson Memorial Hospital's trauma center by 6:00 a.m.
The police received an emergency call made by Damian, and authorities arrived around 6:45 a.m. On arrival, they discovered El Taiger's body bleeding from the head near the intersection of Northwest 9th Avenue and 17th Street in Miami. The reggaeton artist was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he remained in critical condition for a week before succumbing to his injuries on October 10th, sparking a wave of grief among his fans.
Court Proceedings and Charges
This Wednesday, Damian was extradited to Miami from New York and had his first court appearance in Miami-Dade criminal court on Thursday before Judge Mindy S. Glazer, who denied him bail. Valdez-Galloso faces three charges: second-degree murder, evidence tampering, and firearm possession.
Damian, 49, also known as "El Narra," was supposed to appear in court on November 8th concerning charges of sexual assault and violation of registration requirements. However, he was a no-show, as reported by El Taiger's manager, Teresa Padrón, who expressed outrage at Damian's cold demeanor in court, showing no hint of remorse. Teresa mentioned that the next court date for Damian Valdez-Galloso is set for November 22nd, where he will face the judge presiding over the murder case.