Dominican nightclub owners to stand trial for 236 deaths
Judge Raymundo Mejía (also reported as Reymundo Mejía Zorrilla) of the First Court of Instruction in Santo Domingo ordered that Antonio and Maribel Espaillat, owners of the Jet Set nightclub, be sent to a full trial for involuntary homicide (involuntary manslaughter) over the roof collapse on 8 April 2025. The disaster killed 236 people and injured more than 100. The judge rejected a request by some victims’ lawyers to reclassify the case as voluntary homicide with dolo eventual, stating “justice is not for vengeance” and that the law does not support the higher charge.
He upheld the coercive measures already imposed: a bail guarantee of 50 million Dominican pesos per defendant, a travel ban, monthly court appearances, and the immobilisation of assets worth up to 500 million pesos, affecting the siblings’ companies and associated parties. The trial will determine their criminal responsibility; no trial date has been set yet. Victims’ families expressed hope that the justice system will hold the owners accountable.
The ruling marks the end of the preliminary phase in what is considered one of the deadliest incidents in recent Dominican history.