Nine years since Emely Peguero's murder: new laws and figures that changed in the Dominican Republic
Nine years after Emely Peguero's murder, the Dominican Republic has introduced a new Penal Code that classifies femicide as a crime punishable by up to 40 years in prison.
Nine years since Emely Peguero's murder: what her death transformed in Dominican justice
The face of Emely Peguero, the 16-year-old girl murdered in August 2017, remains present in Dominican collective memory. According to infobae.com, her murder—which occurred while she was pregnant—sparked a wave of national outrage and exposed weaknesses in the system for protecting against gender-based violence.
Today, nine years later, the country has a new Penal Code that recognises femicide as an autonomous crime and establishes sentences of between 30 and 40 years in prison.
The crime and judicial process
Emely Peguero disappeared on 23 August 2017. Her body was found days later, following a search that mobilised Dominican society in its entirety. BBC Mundo reported at that time that "Emely's disappearance mobilised all of society, laying bare deficiencies in the authorities' response and generating a national debate on violence against women".
The judicial process concluded with a 30-year prison sentence for Marlon Martínez. His mother, Marlin Martínez, received a reduced sentence of two years and regained her freedom in 2020.
An 1884 Penal Code as the legal framework in force in 2017
At the time of the crime, the Dominican Republic applied a Penal Code inherited from 1884 that did not classify femicide as an independent criminal offence. This legal gap was exposed by the scale of the case.
The new Penal Code, which entered into force this month, addresses that gap. Article 94 establishes that when the victim is a child, adolescent or is pregnant, the maximum penalty rises to 40 years in prison, accompanied by a fine equivalent to a thousand minimum salaries in the public sector. "If a crime like Emely's were to occur today, the new legislation would contemplate the highest penalty provided for", the Dominican media outlet El Día stated.
The reform, however, has no retroactive effect. Sentences handed down under the previous legislation remain in force, which prevents modifying the penalties imposed on those involved in the Peguero case. The Executive Power's Legal Consultancy indicated that the consolidated version of the Penal Code published this month also raises sanctions for other forms of gender-based violence and sexual offences.
An August 2017 marked by several crimes against young people
Emely Peguero's murder was not an isolated incident. That same month, the country registered other crimes against young people that shocked public opinion: Fernelis Carrión, aged 16, whose case ended with the conviction to 30 years of priest Elvin Taveras; and Dioskairy Gómez and Rosalinda Yan Pérez, both aged 18. El Día noted that "the four names became associated with one of the succession of murders of young people that shook the country in a matter of weeks".
Adolescent pregnancies: decline of over 50% in eight years
The social impact of the case is also reflected in public health indicators. According to the National Statistics Office (ONE), in 2017 there were 35,461 pregnancies in adolescents; in 2025 that figure fell to 16,481, a reduction of more than 50%. The phenomenon persists, however, and chiefly affects adolescents aged 15 to 19 years. Girls under 15 represented 5.01% of cases reported in 2025.
The story continues: the case of Esmeralda Richiez
The continuity of the problem became evident with the case of Esmeralda Richiez, another 16-year-old girl murdered six years after Emely's crime. Processed still under the old Penal Code, the proceedings concluded in 2026 with the confirmation of a 20-year sentence for John Kelly Martínez, just months before the new sanctions regime entered into force.
Progress recognised, debate ongoing
BBC Mundo stressed that "the shock from Emely's death opened a debate on the need to strengthen prevention, protection and justice systems to prevent new tragedies". Dominican authorities recognise legislative advances and the reduction in adolescent pregnancies as concrete achievements, although the discussion regarding institutional capacity to detect and address violence before it leads to crimes remains current.
The memory of Emely Peguero persists in Dominican society under a legal framework different from that which existed in 2017, with the central challenge of preventing other adolescents from sharing her fate.
Source: Google News DO — Crime