Judge Ángel Rivera Miranda of the San Juan Court issued an arrest warrant with $3 million bail against Kenneth Zavala Esquilín, 22, on charges of first-degree murder, endangering public safety by discharging a firearm, carrying/transporting/using a firearm without a license, and aiming or firing a weapon. The investigation, led by Agent Rafael Pérez Castrodad of the San Juan Homicide Division, determined that in the early morning of August 22, Zavala Esquilín fatally shot Melvin Joel Algarín Nieves, 28, a Cataño resident, at the intersection of Calle Del Parque and Calle Padre Capuchino in Río Piedras.
The motive is linked to prior arguments and grudges. Prosecutor Barbara Pérez Santos filed the charges in absentia, as the suspect remains at large. Authorities are asking anyone with information leading to his arrest to call the Puerto Rico Police confidential tip line at 787-343-2020 or the San Juan CIC Homicide Division at 787-793-1234, extensions 2200, 2201, or 2217.