A 34-year-old man, Jeremy Randy Del Valle, was sentenced to one year and six months in prison followed by six years of probation for causing the death of a motorcyclist in Vieques and leaving the scene of the April 25, 2024 crash. Justice Secretary Lourdes L. Gómez Torres announced the sentence Tuesday. Del Valle pleaded guilty to the charges filed by the Fajardo Prosecutor’s Office, so no trial was needed.
According to evidence presented by prosecutor Fernando Quintero El Hage, Del Valle struck Carlos A. Cruz Morales, 39, who was riding a motorcycle on the La Esperanza road. The investigation established that Del Valle was driving recklessly and negligently and left the scene without stopping after the impact; specialized scientific analyses determined the speed at which he was driving.
Judge Alexis Álvarez del Valle, of the Fajardo Court of First Instance, imposed an eight-year term under Article 5.07(c) of Puerto Rico’s Vehicles and Traffic Law, which penalizes causing a death by reckless or negligent driving, plus three years under Article 4.02 for leaving the scene of a fatal accident, with both sentences running concurrently. Agent Alexis Calderón Esquilín, of the Puerto Rico Police’s Robbery, Extortion, Property, Assaults and Missing Persons Unit, led the investigation.