Man charged in El Taiger's murder to remain in jail
MIAMI - A man charged in the murder of Cuban reggaeton artist Jose Manuel Carbajal Zadivar, known professionally as El Taiger, will remain in jail.
On Thursday, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Mindy Glazer denied bond for Damian Valdez-Galloso, 49, who is charged with second-degree murder.
"Is that the correct charge? It looks like he shot him in the head and then dragged his body and put him in a vehicle and the victim subsequently died. Wouldn't it be a first-degree murder charge?" she asked of the prosecutor in court.
El Taiger was discovered with a gunshot wound to the head, on Oct. 3, in the back of an SUV in Allapattah on NW 17th Street, near Jackson Memorial Hospital. However, police say he was shot at a home on SE 5th Street in Hialeah, where Galloso was renting.
According to the state, Valdez-Galloso shot El Taiger at the Hialeah home and then left him in the SUV near Jackson Memorial Hospital. The prosecutor said the state needs to prove the murder was premeditated for it to be a first-degree charge and they are still working on gathering that evidence.
Valdez-Galloso wasn't found until Tuesday, Oct. 29 after a multi-agency effort involving Miami police, U.S. Marshals and New York police led to his arrest in New York City. He has been charged with failure to register as a sex offender and as a fugitive from justice there. He was then extradited to Miami on the murder charge.
El Taiger's booking manager Teresa Padron was in the courtroom for Valdez-Galloso's hearing.
"He stands there and acts like it's freaking nothing, and that's very, very hard,
She said she's glad that the judge and state are pushing for a first-degree murder charge.
"You don't kill somebody and then drag them to a car and leave them in a car until you change your clothes and then take them to act like you're taking them to the hospital," she said.
Padron said El Taiger's loss if felt by fans about the world and his family is destroyed.
"He was very talented, very intelligent, and he was a great soul. It is a huge loss. It's a huge loss for everyone, especially his family and his children, who were hurt the most," she said.