Luis A. Vélez Torres, a security supervisor at a hospital in Moca, was found guilty of negligent homicide by the Aguadilla Court of First Instance, according to the Department of Justice. The verdict was issued after the Aguadilla Prosecutor’s Office presented evidence that established Vélez Torres’ responsibility for the death of 65-year-old patient Noel Méndez Gómez, said Justice Secretary Lourdes L. Gómez Torres.
The incident occurred on September 12, 2022, when Méndez Gómez was hospitalized and nursing staff requested Vélez Torres’ intervention to inform him of the no-smoking policy. Vélez Torres demanded that Méndez Gómez hand over his cigarettes, and when the patient refused, the supervisor searched his belongings, grabbed him by both arms, and pushed him against the bed, preventing him from moving.
Méndez Gómez asked to be released several times, and two nursing supervisors intervened to free him. The patient later suffered a collapse and was declared dead. An autopsy by the Institute of Forensic Sciences determined that the death was a homicide caused by the physical and emotional tension triggered during the incident, which led to a heart attack.
The sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 7. Prosecutor Sigrid Nazario del Toro presented the evidence during the trial, and Agent Juan López Rivera of the Aguadilla Criminal Investigations Corps’ Homicide Division led the investigation.