Puerto Rico’s Department of Justice confirmed that charges were filed Friday night against Rubén Muñiz Valentín, 46, for the murder of his mother, Miriam Valentín Matos, 72, found dead Thursday night at their home in the Malpaso neighborhood of Aguada. Neighbors alerted police around 11:40 PM after hearing a man shouting for help; officers found the victim’s other children outside and discovered the woman’s body in a bedroom with multiple head wounds.
Inspector Eduardo Rivera, director of Aguadilla’s Criminal Investigations Corps (CIC), said the victim’s eldest son admitted to the killing after being read his rights, and that his account was corroborated by evidence and interviews. Agent Luis Sein Egipciaco of the Aguadilla Homicide Division led the investigation. Prosecutors Hillary Nevárez Matos and Víctor Román Pérez filed first-degree murder and weapons charges.
Judge Melissa Soto of the Aguadilla Municipal Court found probable cause and set bail at $8 million, which was not posted; Muñiz Valentín was sent to the Ponce Penal Institution. He has a prior 2010 conviction for lewd acts, for which he served six years’ probation. Justice Secretary Lourdes Gómez called the case "particularly painful."