Two detained in Killings of Transgender feamales in Puerto Rico

The police mentioned they had classified the fatalities as a dislike crime following the remains of two girls comprise present a severely burned vehicle a week ago.

Per week following bodies of two transgender ladies had been present a badly burned vehicle in Puerto Rico, law enforcement stated Thursday that they got detained two guys relating to the killings and had turned them to the F.B.I.

The guys, Juan Carlos Pagan Bonilla, 21, and Sean Diaz de Leon, 19, comprise used into guardianship on Wednesday but have perhaps not started recharged, relating to Capt. Teddy Morales, the main of criminal investigations for the authorities in Humacao, on Puerto Rico’s east shore, in which the women’s keeps had been available on April 22.

The guy said the F.B.I. got bought out possible and was actually examining Mr. Pagan Bonilla and Mr. Diaz de Leon for possible civil rights violations.

“We tend to be classifying it as a detest crime since they happened to be interacting utilizing the victims, as soon as they learned these people were transgender girls, they decided to eliminate them,” master Morales said on Thursday.

Law enforcement said these people were looking forward to autopsy leads to decide how the ladies was basically killed. Activists posses determined the women as Layla Pelaez, 21, and Serena Angelique Velazquez, 32, two pals who stayed in New York City. Her remains are located after you also known as 911 to submit a burned auto under a bridge on a desolate road in Humacao, prior to 5 a.m. on April 22, head Morales mentioned.

Mr. Pagan Bonilla and Mr. Diaz de Leon have been socializing with Ms. Velazquez and Ms. Pelaez regarding the evening before they were murdered and happened to be recorded on a single on the women’s social media profile, master Morales said.

The guy stated law enforcement have additionally fastened Mr. Pagan Bonilla and eros escort Irving Mr. Diaz de Leon on the killings through security camera footage and “scientific research,” that he dropped to outline. Mr. Pagan Bonilla admitted to participating in the killings, and Mr. Diaz de Leon turned himself in, the guy said.

Limary Cruz-Rubio, a spokeswoman for your F.B.I.’s San Juan field office, decreased to go over the arrests but said the agency routinely collaborates with local, county and national firms.

“The agency try and certainly will be enthusiastic about violent behavior that might fall within national jurisdiction,” she stated. “However, the rules are we really do not confirm or refute the existence of investigations, to safeguard the stability of any possible investigative work.”

Mr. Pagan Bonilla and Mr. Diaz de Leon cannot instantly feel hit for comment on Thursday night, plus it wasn’t straight away clear if they have attorneys.

If the male is charged, it might portray a switching reason for the management of criminal activities against L.G.B.T.Q. folks in Puerto Rico, that has a disturbing history of assault against gay and transgender someone, activists stated.

Ms. Velazquez and Ms. Pelaez are the third and fourth transgender folk slain in Puerto Rico in the past 8 weeks, activists stated. They certainly were in addition considered to be the 7th and 8th transgender or gender-nonconforming visitors to have now been murdered in the us this present year, based on the peoples legal rights promotion.

Prior to now 15 several months, 10 L.G.B.T.Q. people have come killed in Puerto Rico, per Pedro Julio Serrano, a gay legal rights activist. All but three associated with the fatalities stays unsolved, he mentioned.

“These arrests include a step for the best movement, nevertheless these murders need to be prosecuted as dislike crimes,” Mr. Serrano mentioned. “We desire the government in order to complete the research inside the more seven murders of L.G.B.T.Q. men on area and offer justice for every ones.”

Ms. Velazquez lived-in Queens and Ms. Pelaez from inside the Bronx. Both have lately journeyed to Puerto Rico, and additionally they comprise planning to travel back again to nyc afterwards this period, in accordance with loved ones and activists.

Luz Melendez, 29, Ms. Pelaez’s relative, mentioned Mr. Pagan Bonilla and Mr. Diaz de Leon are detained after a nearby radio facility uploaded images ones on myspace and individuals started initially to call the facility to spot all of them.

“We were extremely appreciative on the jobs the authorities and people added locate exactly who did this,” she mentioned on Thursday.

She stated the images originated from two video that Ms. Pelaez have submitted on her behalf Snapchat and fb profile, which demonstrated the girl and Ms. Velazquez interacting with Mr. Pagan Bonilla and Mr. Diaz de Leon.

“we noticed the movies, plus it appeared like they were spending some time collectively as buddies,” she said. “It appeared typical. There is sounds playing when you look at the background. Every Person appeared okay.”

She stated the authorities had told her parents best that the men were in federal guardianship.

The killings arrived four weeks after Yampi Mendez Arocho, a 19-year-old transgender man, was slain in Moca, P.R., based on the person Rights strategy.

In March, Alexa Negron Luciano, a famous figure on Puerto Rico social media marketing who had been transgender and homeless, was recorded to demise after a McDonald’s client complained that Ms. Negron got spied on her behalf inside the women’s space.

Ms. Negron’s best minutes — framed inside headlights of an automobile amid a cackle of laughter — had been published on social media marketing, a fact that activists stated underscored the impunity homophobic attackers become whenever committing these crimes.