The relationship between two Cubans ended in tragedy in Houston, Texas, when a man shot to death to his former partner at the beginning of October, and to this day he remains a fugitive.
Roger Betancourt Castillo40 years old, is wanted by policeaccused of the murder of his ex-partner Miriam Martínez Pol56 and also of Cuban origin, in southwest Houston, on October 8, said a report from Univision 45.
The crime occurred between 5:04:04 and 5:05:31 in the afternoon of that Sunday, in apartment 3004, located on the second floor of the Wesley Gardens complex.
During that time, surveillance video placed Betancourt at the crime scene, according to Houston Police homicide detectives.
The suspect remained in the victim’s apartment for only one minute and 27 seconds.a period in which there was a fight between the two, screams were heard and a shot was fired, the police report indicates.
Presumably, the gun that fired the Cuban It had a silencer because the neighbors did not hear the detonation, he told Univision 45 Luis Leyvaa close friend of the victim who reported the case to Crime Stoppers.
The statements of a friend of Martínez’s, who was with her in the apartment at the time of the events, coincide with this version, according to the police.
The woman, whose name has not been revealed, said she was in the bathroom when everything happened and that she only heard a fight and then a loud scream from her friend. When she left the bathroom, she found her lying on the floor, bleeding, next to the entrance door, and called the emergency services.
When medical personnel arrived, Martínez had a gunshot wound to the head and was apparently still alive. She was immediately taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 5:52 p.m.
The police report states that around 2:18 am on the day of his murder, Martínez had called 911 and reported that his ex-partner was outside his apartment, on the second floor of the condominium, yelling at him to come down or he would go up and hit her.
The woman also revealed to the operator that, previously, Betancourt – known by the aliases “Tato” and “Roger” – had threatened with a gun. When officers arrived at the apartment complex, the suspect was already gone.
Martínez told the agents that, before the incident outside the house, she had been in a bar and Betancourt sent her a message asking her to go out to the parking lot.
According to her testimony that night, there was an argument in the parking lot during which the Cuban’s new girlfriend hit her and threw her to the ground, where he continued to attack her. As a result of the blows, Martínez was left with injuries on his body, which were noticed by the officers.
Because of the fear she had of her ex-partner, after the incident in the bar, the Cuban asked a friend to stay with her in the house to feel safer. However, the presence of her friend did not prevent the tragedy that would occur hours later.
It was not until this Friday, November 3, almost a month after the events, that the Houston Police reported that they were looking for Betancourt and that they charged him murder charges in relation to the death of his ex-partner.
“In the judicial records of the accusation against Betancourt Castillo you can see a stamp with the date of October 11. This means that she was filed three days after the murder, but the police press release in which they announced that they were looking for him was made public almost a month after the fact,” the note on the website stressed. Univision 45.
According to testimonies from acquaintances, Betancourt appears to have fled to Mexico with his new girlfriend.
Police asked for tips to help find the suspect’s whereabouts and noted that anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 713-222-8477.
The victim had no family in the United States, only his mother and son who reside in Cubaaccording to a report from Telemundo.
Friends and acquaintances intend to repatriate his ashes to the island. One of her friends told the television channel that Martínez liked to work and send money to her mother in Cuba and, with tears in her eyes, she stated about the crime suspect: “He didn’t love her.” .
