Santiago, Dominican Republic: Two men sentenced to 30 and 15 years for 2025 murder
A Dominican court sentenced Héctor Yobani García Cabrera to 30 years in prison and Ambiorix de Jesús Pérez Vargas to 15 years for the fatal shooting of Ramón Eliseo Mercedes Meléndez in Santiago province. The killing occurred on 25 January 2025 after García Cabrera had previously attacked the victim with gunfire on 25 December 2024. The murder was carried out from a vehicle driven by Pérez Vargas, who also fired at a lottery kiosk worker and injured a bystander. The First Collegiate Court of Santiago, composed of judges Juan Carlos Colón, Claribel Mateo and Gladys de los Santos, handed down the convictions based on evidence presented by the Public Ministry.
The sentencing follows a series of investigations that linked the two men to the pre‑meditated crime, citing violations of multiple articles of the Dominican Penal Code concerning organized crime and homicide.