Guantanamo Murderer Gets 32 Years

Rosa Martinez

HAVANA TIMES — Several months ago I told the readers of Havana Times about Anny, a cousin of mine, who was murdered by her husband, “Cojo.”

A few days ago the sentencing was handed down to this guy, who has now been convicted of two deaths.

Attending the trail were the mother and stepfather of the deceased and her three children, including the youngest, who is also the daughter of the murderer. Also present were Cojo’s parents and three other relatives of his.

According to information provided by the expert, Anny received 12 machete blows and was stabbed in her left kidney, which caused internal bleeding and was the leading cause of death.

I had never participated in a trial before, let alone one of a murderer. I had found myself motivated to attend by the nonchalant way the accused had described what happened.

He said they had argued for several days, which aggravated the situation.

He explained that he rented a car and took some belongings from their house, including some of my cousin’s clothes and those of her 18-year-old son who lived with them.

“When I came back home, I destroyed everything that was left…the TV, the stereo…everything. I drank a half a bottle of pure alcohol, and at 5:00 in the afternoon I took a machete and a knife and I went over to her mother’s house.”

“There, I laid down on top of the slab roof and I waited until dawn the next day. I took advantage of when her stepfather opened the door to go inside the house, and then everyone knows what happened,” said the defendant.

As Cojo was describing what happened, Anny’s mother and her children were crying. Cojo’s mother wasn’t crying, but her face revealed her terrible sadness. We were all heartbroken remembering that life cut short. We all were moved, everyone except him.

“Damn! You’re going to pay…in this life or the other!” yelled Anny’s son. Cojo only looked at him defiantly.

At the end of his statement, Cojo asked the court not to look at him as a murderer, that his intention was never to kill her, but to cut off her arms.

He tried to explain that if he were a murderer, he would have killed everyone who was in the house that day. “It was an opportunity I had, but that I didn’t take,” he said.

The murderer was sentenced to 32 years in prison. And since he’s only 37, he could be in there until he’s 60, if he gets paroled on good behavior – like what happened after his first murder.

His family can visit him in prison every month and bring him his favorite meal. He can even be visited by any woman who dares to do him the favor of satisfying his sexual desires.

As for Anny, though, there’s only the memory of her blood-stained body asking: “Why? Why did Cojo do this to me?”