Authorities seized a vehicle possibly connected to the killing of Cecil Lewis Matías, a 49-year-old physical education teacher and community leader in Santa Isabel, who was shot dead on the afternoon of October 6 on Luis Muñoz Rivera street while collecting donations for elderly adults. The seizure was carried out Wednesday, October 14, by the Stolen Vehicles Divisions of Ponce and San Juan, which stopped the driver on Ramón Emeterio Betances street in that town.
Inside the blue 2021 Ford Escort, officers seized a Glock pistol, eight magazines for that weapon and 183 rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition. Three people were detained for investigation: the 19-year-old driver, his 21-year-old girlfriend and a 16-year-old teenager. The driver was accompanied by a lawyer.
Daniel Justiciano, inspector and director of the Criminal Investigations Corps (CIC), said the investigation remains ongoing, that interviews continue and that digital evidence is being evaluated. The vehicle and firearm were seized for forensic purposes. Matías, founder of Centro Fuente de Esperanza Inc. in Santa Isabel, was ambushed at about 2:19 PM by two or more gunmen as he walked toward his Toyota Tacoma carrying two large bags.
Theories about the crime include disputes over money. The Puerto Rico Police urged the public to call (787) 343-2020 confidentially.