Mother of two-year-old girl murdered in Guayanilla waives preliminary hearing

Ponce – Naiari Quinones Riveramother of April Thais Ortiz Quinonesthe two-year-old girl raped and murdered on June 7 in Guayanilla, waived the preliminary hearing scheduled for this Friday in the Court of First Instance of this municipality, before the judge Lizandra M. Aviles Mendoza.

Quinones Rivera, 29, faces two counts of abuse due to negligence and intentional omission of Law 246 for the Safety, Welfare and Protection of Minors.

After warning you of the implications of waiving your rights at this stage of the process, The judge found cause for trial against the womansetting the reading of the accusation for Friday, September 22 and the start of the trial, for Tuesday, October 17, at 9:00 am

Likewise, Aviles Mendoza warned that any agreement that the accused considers making with the Public Ministry will be subject to the discretion of the judge hearing the case.

This Friday, it emerged that Quinones Rivera could become a witness for the people and testify against the minor’s father, Jiovan Francisco Ortiz Sotoaccused of murdering his daughter after a pattern of sexual abuse since December 2022.

According to the prosecutor Ruth Miriam Perez“there are conversations with the defense, but we cannot provide any type of information because it would be very premature.”

“We are not authorized to make any type of expression. At this time, we are not going to advance what the position of the Public Ministry would be., until and as long as we are at that moment. “We can talk once it happens,” Perez insisted, along with the prosecutor. Natasha Munoz.

He explained, on the other hand, that Quinones Rivera is charged with two complaints for the crime of mistreatment, which is typified in Article 59 of Law 246. “The complaints that are filed in court, which are the cases that were handled Today, through a waiver, what is being charged is an intentional omission in pediatric medical care for the deceased girl and the surviving girl (three years old),” he noted.

“If found guilty at the trial level, the fixed sentence is five years. If the court found aggravating circumstances, it would be eight (years), or mitigating circumstances would be three (years in prison),” the prosecutor explained.

Meanwhile, the lawyer Joannie Plaza Martinez He reiterated his opposition to the transmission of the proceedings against Quinones Rivera, despite the fact that the Supreme Court declared his request to avoid it inadmissible.

“Advertising negatively impacts my client’s image. We continue in that position, but the Supreme Court ruled against it. We have to respect the court’s ruling, but it remains our position. “My client remains in her position that she wants to protect the privacy of her daughter,” she explained.

Likewise, he refused to clarify his client’s alleged intention to reach an agreement to testify against Ortiz Soto, who faces one count of first-degree murder, four counts of incest, and four counts of sexual assault.

The preliminary hearing against the 35-year-old mechanic will continue on Wednesday, September 20 and Thursday, September 21in room 402 of the Ponce Judicial Center, before the judge Ruben Serrano.

According to the Police investigation, the minor’s parents transported her unconscious, around 11:20 am on Wednesday, June 7, to the Guayanilla Diagnosis and Treatment Center, where they said she had been hit when she fell on her back. his bed in the Bahia residential complex, in that municipality.

However, the blows were not compatible with a fall, it emerged. Authorities arrested both the day after the incident. The father allegedly admitted that he sexually abused his daughter for several months, culminating in her death.