Cuban-American stabbed to death in Havana in alleged robbery
George Urguelles, a Cuban-American citizen, was killed on Wednesday, 7 October in an apartment in the Nela Building in Revolution Plaza. The crime is believed to be linked to the theft of money, mobile phones and a gold chain valued at 10,000 dollars.
Cuban-American stabbed to death in Havana apartment
George Urguelles, a Cuban-American citizen, was killed on Wednesday, 7 October in an apartment in the Nela Building, located on Requena Street, between Carlos III and Maloja, in the municipality of Revolution Plaza, according to cuballama.com.
According to testimony from neighbours collected by the news page Nio reportando un crimen, the victim is believed to have suffered multiple stab wounds allegedly at the hands of a young man who frequented the apartment. Despite the severity of his injuries, Urguelles is said to have managed to reach a neighbour to request help, who alerted the rest of the building's residents by shouting.
Sources close to the case indicated that the motive for the crime is believed to have been the theft of cash, mobile phones, watches and a gold chain valued at 10,000 dollars. The alleged perpetrator left the scene accompanied by a woman, although the latter's involvement has not been officially confirmed.
Ernesto Domínguez, a friend of the victim, stated that Urguelles left Cuba as a child, shortly after the triumph of the Revolution in 1959, together with his mother and sister. User Dimitriv Oviedo described him as an antiques collector who "lived here on the island for periods at a time". Acquaintances who knew him in Tampa remembered him as a customer at a local barbershop and as "a great friend".
The murder occurs in a context of increased violence in Cuba. The Cuban Observatory of Citizen Audit (OCAC) recorded 102 homicide victims from crime in the country during the first half of 2026, compared to 69 in the same period of 2025, representing a 47.8 per cent increase. Of that total, 90 correspond to murders, a 42.9 per cent increase compared to the first six months of the previous year, according to its report published by Cuba Siglo 21.
Matanzas led the provinces with the most murders recorded in that period, with 18 cases, followed by Santiago de Cuba with 13 and Havana with 12. Homicides rose from 36 between January and March to 54 between April and June.
Source: Google News CU — La Habana