The Puerto Rico Department of Correction and Rehabilitation (DCR) said it is investigating an "intervention" involving a 16-year-old who is in custody while facing charges for the killing of his grandmother in Guaynabo. In a press statement, the DCR confirmed an incident with the minor on October 8 but did not detail what occurred. It called it an "isolated incident" and said the minor is in good health and appeared in court on Tuesday, October 13.
The agency explained his placement in the Correctional Medical Center responds to psychological treatment he has received since admission as part of his institutional plan, and said correctional staff must maintain order and protect everyone in custody through interventions under established protocols. As part of the ongoing investigation, the circumstances of the event and the intervention carried out are being evaluated, without drawing conclusions.
The Department of Justice reported on September 27 that it filed three charges against Elvin William Reyes Rosa, 16, for the murder of his grandmother, Lourdes Pérez Mercado, 67, and the attempted murder of his brother, in events at the Santa María Shopping Center in Guaynabo. Justice Secretary Lourdes L. Gómez Torres said Reyes Rosa will be processed as an adult.
The Bayamón Prosecutors’ Office filed the charges after the investigation established that the teen attacked his grandmother and brother repeatedly with a knife; the woman died of her wounds and her brother was gravely injured.