Opinion ID: 198984
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: The Hunting Expeditions (cacerias)

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
34 Wilfredo Martinez-Matta began the next caceria with Santiago-Lugo by driving through the Bayamon area armed and looking for the Rosarios. After Colon-Miranda joined them, they found and followed Rivera-Dide and Serrano-Bermudez, known associates of the Rosarios. Wilfredo and Colon-Miranda shot and killed both men as they sat in a car. Hidalgo-Melendez testified that he later learned that Wilfredo had killed Sammy and Colon-Miranda had killed Sammy's passenger. 35
36 A third caceria occurred around Easter in 1994. At that time, Ibanez-Maldonado, Colon-Miranda, and Martinez-Velez met at the King's Court mesa. There, they planned a caceria in search of the Rosarios because of the drug point war. They drove a stolen white van to look for the Rosarios. While driving, they came across two people on a motorcycle. They recognized someone they were looking for, and Colon-Miranda and someone else began shooting at the individuals on the motorcycle. Ibanez-Maldonado testified that he had a Taurus 9mm firearm, Colon-Miranda had an AK-47 or an AR-15, and Martinez-Velez had an M-14 that jammed. There were three other Taurus pistols in the van. After they shot the driver and the motorcycle crashed, Martinez-Velez and Raul Ortiz-Miranda exited the van and killed the victims. When a police scanner alerted them that the police were in pursuit, they fled to a mountainous area, abandoned the van, and hid some of the weapons under leaves. Ibanez-Maldonado also testified that Martnez-Velez had darker skin than Ortiz-Miranda and that Ortiz-Miranda was wearing a white cap. 37 A police officer was following the white van as it pursued the motorcycle. After driving over the crest of a hill, the officer saw the bikers on the ground being shot by a tall, dark person and a tall, white person with a cap. A second officer responded to the shooting incident and chased the white van, which he eventually found near a hill. The police found several firearms near the van and a cap. Officers also seized casings for AR-15 and 9mm firearms within the van.