MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — The loved ones of slain Cuban artist José Manuel Carbajal Zaldívar, better known as “El Taiger,” were in the courtroom on Tuesday in Miami-Dade County.
Damián Valdez-Galloso appeared before Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez accused of killing the 37-year-old “Cubatón” artist.
“He came out today, and he didn’t even look at any of us. He knew we were present. The judge knew, and there was a room full of officers, they definitely know that our presence is here and it is felt,” said Teresa Padrón, the victim’s former manager and friend.
Valdez-Galloso, 51, rejected a plea deal. Ricardo Hermida, who is representing him, told reporters in Spanish that it was a case of self-defense.
Padrón and a group of supporters wore T-shirts calling for justice.
“Even though we cannot speak and we cannot disrespect the court, our shirts speak for us,” Padrón said.
Detectives accused Valdez-Galloso of shooting Carbajal Zaldívar in the head shortly after 5:25 a.m. on Oct. 3, 2024, in Hialeah, records show.
Police officers found Carbajal Zaldívar injured at about 6:45 a.m. on Oct. 3, 2024, in a parked 2023 Mercedes-Benz sports utility vehicle near Northwest Ninth Avenue and 17th Street in Allapattah, records show.
A doctor pronounced Carbajal Zaldívar dead on Oct. 10, 2024, at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office detectives investigated the homicide.
U.S. Marshals arrested Valdez-Galloso, a convicted felon, on Oct. 29, 2024, in Brooklyn, New York. He was extradited and booked on Nov. 6, 2024, at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami-Dade.
Miami-Dade prosecutors filed a case against Valdez Galloso, a registered sex offender, on Nov. 7, 2024, and a grand jury indictment was filed on Jan. 29, 2025, court records show.
Valdez Galloso faced charges of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon, tampering with physical evidence, and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. His next status hearing is at 9:15 a.m. on Sept. 2.
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