A forensic analyst testified on Tuesday, October 27, that DNA of Carlos Manuel Estefano Pino, charged with killing 36-year-old nurse Jennifer Torres Castro on June 24, was found in the fingernails of both of the victim’s hands, according to analysis by the Institute of Forensic Sciences (ICF). Analyst Kathleen Velázquez Sotomayor, the fifth witness in the preliminary hearing at the Caguas court, said it was "unusual" that more of Estefano Pino’s genetic material than the victim’s own was found in her nails.
Blood from both the defendant and the victim was found in the sink’s drain trap at Torres Castro’s apartment in the Río Cañas neighborhood, Quebrada Arenas sector in Caguas, where police found her body the night of June 24. Prosecutors said forensics concluded she was not sexually assaulted, unlike Estefano Pino’s victims in 1986 and 1990.
The defendant, who was on parole for a 1990 femicide, was notified on September 9 that his parole was revoked for violating six conditions; he told the Parole Board he drank alcohol on June 23 and had a "physical altercation" with the victim. Defense lawyer Donald Milán Guindín argued the evidence shows they shared the home, not that the defendant was present at the time of death.
Torres Castro’s mother, Keyla Castro Collazo, again denied a romantic relationship. The hearing continues November 23 at 8:00 AM with investigator Reymundo Quiñones Castro and a neighbor.