After bail was denied to Damián Valdez-Galloso during his initial court appearance in Miami-Dade, a new date has been scheduled for him to appear before the judge presiding over the case involving the murder of Cuban reggaeton artist El Taiger. Teresa Padrón, the manager of the deceased musician, informed the press that Valdez is expected to return to court on November 22. At this hearing, he must enter a plea of guilty or not guilty concerning the charges related to the homicide of José Manuel Carbajal Zaldívar.
On Friday, Valdez declined to appear for a second time before the Miami-Dade court. This particular session was unrelated to El Taiger's case and instead concerned previous charges of sexual assault and failure to comply with registration requirements for that offense.
During his initial court appearance, Judge Mindy S. Glazer questioned the prosecution as to why Valdez was charged with second-degree murder instead of first-degree murder. Teresa Padrón hopes the charge will be elevated to first-degree murder, which would impose a harsher penalty that fits the crime. She also fears that if Valdez pleads guilty, his sentence might be reduced.
Allegations of Accomplice Involvement
The artist's manager, Padrón, maintains that Valdez had assistance after shooting El Taiger. She suspects his wife was involved, although police information so far only indicates that Valdez shot the reggaeton artist in the head, dragged him to a car, cleaned up the crime scene, and later left him inside the vehicle near Jackson Memorial Hospital.