Driver who caused Lucía Rubiño's death receives suspended sentence
A Puerto Rican court imposed two years of suspended prison and four years of driving disqualification on the young man who struck the 16-year-old girl while racing in a residential area of San Juan.
Driver who caused Lucía Rubiño's death receives suspended sentence
A Puerto Rican court on Wednesday imposed a sentence of two years of suspended prison and four years without a driving licence on Nahim Manzur, the young man responsible for the accident that cost the life of Lucía Rubiño, a 16-year-old girl. Manzur was a minor at the time of the incident, which occurred in October 2023 in the Profesional neighbourhood of San Juan.
Judge Jorge Toro's ruling means that the defendant will not enter a correctional facility, but will instead remain free subject to conditions of conduct. The determination provoked an angry response from family members, friends and activists who demanded a custodial sentence.
The crux of the legal proceedings centred on how to classify the facts legally. The prosecutors and lawyers representing the victim's parents requested that the case be classified as homicide with eventual intent, arguing that the accused knew the danger involved in racing at speed on a populated road. The judge, however, opted for culpable homicide, finding that there was reckless and negligent conduct, but without deliberate purpose or acceptance of the fatal outcome.
During the reading of the sentence, the courtroom filled with tears, shouts and complaints against the justice system. Those present expressed frustration upon learning that the person responsible for the death would not spend time in custody.
Those close to the deceased adolescent stated that rulings of this type — with non-custodial sentences — leave a profound sense of helplessness in the face of a loss that devastated an entire family.
Faced with this situation, the Rubiño family's lawyers announced that they will review the ruling point by point in order to appeal it before a higher court. They are seeking to have the first instance decision overturned and a sentence imposed that includes actual imprisonment.
Source: Diario 13 San Juan
Source: Google News PR — San Juan