Life sentence in Santiago de Cuba for murder of police auxiliary in Palma Soriano
The Criminal Chamber of the Provincial Court of Santiago de Cuba sentenced Guillermo Sánchez Gutiérrez to perpetual deprivation of liberty for killing a police auxiliary.
Sentenced to life imprisonment for killing a police auxiliary in Palma Soriano
The First Criminal Chamber of the Popular Provincial Court of Santiago de Cuba imposed perpetual deprivation of liberty on Guillermo Sánchez Gutiérrez, found guilty of murdering an auxiliary of the National Revolutionary Police (PNR) in the municipality of Palma Soriano. This was reported on Saturday by cibercuba.com, citing the official newspaper Sierra Maestra.
The events occurred on 19 July 2025. Sánchez Gutiérrez attacked the head of the PNR subsector in the area with a knife whilst he was dressed in civilian clothes.
Following the initial assault, the victim sought refuge in a neighbouring resident's house. The accused pursued him, knocked down the front door, and inflicted seven further wounds to his abdomen, back, and legs, causing his death.
Sierra Maestra reported that the auxiliary, despite suffering a deep wound to one of his legs during the first attack, managed to run approximately 60 metres before being caught. The attacker, according to the same media outlet, warned the victim that "this was the last time he would summon him", which guided the court on the motive for the crime.
The court characterised the proceedings as an "oral, public and exemplary trial" and applied the aggravating circumstance under Article 80 of the Cuban Penal Code, which covers acting out of revenge or retaliation. This factor proved decisive in imposing the maximum sentence of perpetual deprivation of liberty, rather than a sentence of between 20 and 30 years.
The crimes charged were murder—classified under Article 344 of the Penal Code—, trespass, and threats.
A preliminary case reported in July 2025 had identified the victim only as "Yoleysi" and described how she was delivering a summons when she was attacked. The sentence now confirms both the facts and the identity of the convicted person.
In Cuba, perpetual deprivation of liberty entails lifelong internment in a high or maximum security penitentiary facility, in accordance with Law 151/2022. Persons serving this sentence have no right to parole, although they may progress to a lower security regime after five and ten years of good conduct, without that implying release.
This is not the first ruling of this kind in the province. In February 2026, the same Popular Provincial Court of Santiago de Cuba sentenced three men to life imprisonment for murdering a motorcyclist in order to rob him and sell the parts of his motorcycle, also under Article 344 of the Penal Code, which demonstrates repeated application of this maximum sentence in cases of murder with aggravating factors in that province.
Source: Google News CU — Crime