Young worker murdered at restaurant in Rengo: witness contradicts PDI account
Valentín Maldonado, 23, was stabbed by a Venezuelan national in irregular immigration status while working at a restaurant in Rengo. A witness disputes the claim that both men were drinking together.
Witness contradicts PDI following murder of worker at Rengo restaurant
A Venezuelan national in irregular immigration status is being sought by police after murdering Valentín Maldonado, a young Chilean man aged 23, at a restaurant in the municipality of Rengo, O'Higgins Region. According to lacuarta.com, the victim had no police record.
Juan Reyes, chief of the Homicide Squad in Rancagua, stated that the assault occurred after Maldonado finished his work shift, and that both men had reportedly been drinking alcohol together before the Venezuelan stabbed him with a sharp weapon. The motive for the attack remains under investigation. The victim was transferred to Rengo hospital, where he died.
A witness who saw the attack gave a different account to the media outlet El Renguino than that provided by the Investigaciones Police (PDI): the Venezuelan and Maldonado worked together in the restaurant's kitchen, but were not drinking alcohol together at any point.
"When we sat down to rest, the Venezuelan approached and committed the murder. It was very sudden. I didn't even realise immediately; I noticed when he started convulsing and I ran to help him," a relative of the victim who was present at the scene said.
The same relative clarified that Maldonado had no children, but was in a relationship with his sister and provided financial support to the family. "He was a family man who worked hard to support my sister and my nephews," he added. In the past, the young man had worked as a seasonal labourer and more recently as a security guard.
Through social media, Maldonado's relatives distributed a message in which they described the young man as "very hardworking, who always strived to get ahead and who through his dedication and responsibility earned his living honestly".
The Investigaciones Police continues to search for the suspect's whereabouts, whose image was shared virally on Facebook by authorities as part of efforts to locate him.
Source: Google News CL — Crime