SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On May 18, 2023, U.S. District Judge Raúl Arias-Marxuach sentenced Richard Montalvo-Otero, Yabdier Hernández-Camacho, and Luis Rodríguez-Otero to serve prison sentences of 360 months, 262 months, and 240 months, respectively, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. All three defendants had previously pleaded guilty to federal offenses relating to the carjacking and killing of Álvaro Torres-De Jesús.
Specifically, on October 1, 2019, Montalvo-Otero, Hernández-Camacho, and Rodríguez-Otero traveled to the Bar de Hery, a commercial establishment near the University of Puerto Rico campus in Utuado, Puerto Rico. Once there, the three men met with Torres, a classmate of Rodríguez-Otero. After socializing with Torres for a while, Montalvo-Otero, Hernández-Camacho, and Rodríguez-Otero, aiding and abetting each other, forced Torres into his Toyota Rav4 at gunpoint.
Montalvo-Otero and Hernández-Camacho then drove Torres to an alleyway where they met with Rodríguez-Otero. At the alleyway, Montalvo-Otero and Hernández-Camacho opened fire on Torres, shooting and killing him as Rodríguez-Otero recorded the incident. After the shooting, Montalvo-Otero and Hernández-Camacho drove the Toyota Rav4 to a separate location, where they abandoned it. The following evening, Montalvo-Otero and Hernández-Camacho set the Toyota Rav4 on fire and shot and wounded Rodríguez-Otero in an attempt to kill him.
“Although today’s sentences cannot undo the devastation that these men inflicted upon Torres’ family, they reflect our resolve to ensure that those who menace our communities with senseless acts of violence face the consequences of their actions,” said United States Attorney Muldrow.
The FBI and the Puerto Rico Police Bureau investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. States Attorneys Alexander L. Alum and Daynelle M. Álvarez Lora prosecuted the case.
