Opinion ID: 198984
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Murder of Reynaldo Pacheco-Aponte

Text: 28 At a subsequent meeting held in an apartment in Dorado, the Martinez-Matta brothers, Hidalgo-Melendez, El Gato, Santiago-Lugo, and Colon-Miranda planned how they would enter Davila and kill the Rosarios. During the meeting, Colon-Miranda telephoned Ortiz-Santiago, and it was agreed that Ortiz-Santiago and Ortiz-Figueroa would keep Colon-Miranda informed as to the Rosarios' precise location within Davila. 29 On April 19, 1993, the group drove to Davila after receiving a call from Ortiz-Santiago. Colon-Miranda and El Gato, armed with AR-15 rifles, entered the housing project through the back door of a business while the others drove into the complex. When they all returned to their cars, and at a later meeting, Colon-Miranda talked about how he killed El Pacheco. At the scene of the crime, law enforcement officers recovered 100 casings fired from AR-15 rifles. 30 A distressed resident informed an officer at the scene that they ran off through Paradero 23 and they had masks. He also said that one of those who ran off was injured and wearing white pants and a mask. The officer located Ortiz-Santiago and Ortiz-Figueroa walking together on a side street near the Paradero and arrested and searched them. Ortiz-Figueroa had a bag containing firearms and ammunition, a rock of heroin or cocaine, a cellular telephone, a glove, two masks, and a firearm on his person. The officer saw blood on one of the masks and on the clothes of Ortiz-Figueroa who appeared to have a hand injury. 31 Wilfredo Martinez-Matta was not at the caceria; instead, he was obtaining three pounds of marijuana from Merced-Morales' business. Some of those involved, however, later met at his house. There, Colon-Miranda admitted to participating in the hunt and El Gato admitted killing Pacheco-Aponte. At yet another meeting, the co-conspirators discussed David Martinez-Matta shooting haphazardly during the caceria and that, as a result, Erick [Ortiz-Santiago] could not come out. 32 Hidalgo-Melendez learned of the murder on the news. He was informed of the details at a meeting with Colon-Miranda and the Martinez-Matta brothers at the Las Villas apartments in Dorado. Hidalgo-Melendez testified, [El Gato] was just like bragging about the way he had killed Pacheco and explaining, like, he sewed with bullets the person of Pacheco . . . . In addition, El Gato told Hidalgo-Melendez that Erick [Ortiz-Santiago] and his brother [Ortiz-Figueroa] had not been able to come downstairs from the building . . . because one of the persons that had entered the project to kill the Rosario brothers were shooting at them. 33