Double murder in Puerto Rico: man confesses in videos and is found dead
A man shot dead a lawyer in Ponce and a former student leader in Guayama, confessed on social media and was later found dead in his apartment.
Man confesses on social media to murders of lawyer and activist in Puerto Rico
According to telemundo51.com, William Rivera Sánchez shot dead lawyer Luis Quiñones González outside a courthouse in Ponce and former student leader Félix Plaud in the municipality of Guayama, posted videos on social media claiming responsibility for both crimes and was subsequently found dead in his apartment after barricading himself inside.
Quiñones González was attacked around 10:45 a.m. as he was leaving the courthouse in Ponce, in the southern part of the island. He was travelling in a white Dodge Ram when he received gunfire and crashed into a pole. His wife, who was driving ahead of him in another vehicle, took him to Dr. Pila hospital, where the lawyer died from his wounds. During the attack, Quiñones González's wife returned fire and shot the alleged attacker.
Shortly after, Rivera Sánchez posted two videos on social media in which he took responsibility for the lawyer's murder and linked the crime to a financial dispute. "I was tired, I was tired of doing things the right way, and yesterday I decided to do things the wrong way," he stated in one of the recordings.
In those same videos, Rivera Sánchez made reference to Félix Plaud, a former student leader linked to the New Progressive Party (PNP). Plaud's family had already reported his disappearance by that time. Police later confirmed that Plaud had been found shot around 2:30 p.m. in the Borinquen neighbourhood near a petrol station in Guayama. According to authorities, Plaud had met with Rivera Sánchez around 7 p.m. on Friday, and from that point on his family had no word of his whereabouts.
At 1:57 p.m., agents located Rivera Sánchez barricaded in his apartment. He was found dead at the scene. Authorities seized three firearms from the residence.
A dispute over a medicinal cannabis dispensary
Behind the crimes lay a legal dispute related to a medicinal cannabis business. Rivera Sánchez was pursuing a lawsuit against Quiñones González that also involved Plaud and other commercial entities.
In a lawsuit filed in June before the Court of First Instance of San Juan, Rivera Sánchez claimed $666,000 for alleged breach of contract and damages. According to his allegations, in mid-2021 he was induced to invest in a project to establish a medicinal cannabis dispensary in Cupey, San Juan. As part of the agreement, he was allegedly offered a 24.5% stake in the business in exchange for an initial investment of $125,000.
Rivera Sánchez also maintained that he incurred additional expenses related to the project: $22,000 in rental payments between November 2022 and January 2026, $10,000 for equipment purchases and $4,000 in renovations. In the lawsuit he claimed $166,000 to recover those amounts, plus $500,000 for alleged emotional damages and mental anguish.
Source: Google News PR — Crime