Justice for Lorenzo

The mysterious death of an 8-year old boy, Lorenzo González, has been the topic of conversation on the island since his murder on March 9th. Tremendous sadness and consternation over this latest incident has led to the creation of Justicia para Lorenzo, a Facebook page, demanding for the perpetrators of this crime to be brought to justice. The police do not have any official suspects yet. The events leading up to the night of this little boy's murder remain largely unknown. However, it was his mother who brought him to the hospital. She allegedly claimed that he had fallen off his bed. Law enforcement authorities immediately discarded this theory, as the boy had severe wounds on his body. Forensics experts say they were produced by a sharp object.

Some of the details which have emerged from the case include the alleged visits of two men at the home of Lorenzo's mother during the night of the murder, and the finding of a pipe with signs of crack in it. Lorenzo's parents, whom are separated, have chosen two completely different paths in dealing with law enforcement authorities. The mother has remained silent, while the father has been cooperative. In an island where there is little faith in the local judicial system, people are demanding and pressuring law enforcement officials to act prudently and swiftly in solving this case. This murder has really struck many people's hearts and has everyone wondering what happened during that fateful night. Strangely enough, this story has not attracted much media attention outside of Puerto Rico. A peaceful march has been scheduled for tomorrow, March 21st, in memory of Lorenzo González.

Update (4/20/10): Ana Cacho, the mother of Lorenzo, has plead her innocence in an interview with a local radio station. Law enforcement officials have not officially named any suspects. The former secretary of the Dept. of Justice of Puerto Rico is part of Ana Cacho's legal team.

Update (9/19/10): A private detective contracted by Lorenzo's mother, Ana Cacho, wrote a book detailing the investigation of the murder. The book, titled “El caso Lorenzo: Desde mi Punto de Vista” (translation: "The Lorenzo Case: From My Point of View"), was written by Milton Rodríguez. Despite Ana Cacho's attempt to prevent its publication, a judge ruled in favor of the the author claiming freedom of speech. Meanwhile, the case remains unresolved.

(Image above obtained from Justicia para Lorenzo)