Sen. Thomas Rivera Schatz/Corrections and Rehabilitation Secretary Ana Escobar PabĂłn
By The Star Staff
New Progressive Party Sen. Thomas Rivera Schatz asked the island Justice Department on Thursday to subpoena Popular Democratic Party (PDP) Senate candidate Carlos DĂaz SĂĄnchez about evidence he has of possible illegal acts in the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR).
Rivera Schatz said in a letter to Justice Secretary Domingo Emanuelli HernĂĄndez that DĂaz SĂĄnchez hinted that the release of convicted murderer Hermes Ăvila VĂĄzquez, who is facing charges in the killing of a woman in ManatĂ while he was out of prison on conditional release, is linked to the vote of senators who confirmed Ana Escobar PabĂłn as DCR secretary. DĂaz SĂĄnchez made his remarks on the television program âPrimera Pregunta.â
âMr. Carlos DĂaz alleged that a Department of Corrections contractor, whose last name is Ăvila, similar to the last name of the murderer in question, helped obtain the votes for the Senate confirmation of Secretary Ana Escobar,â Rivera Schatzâs letter stated. âMr. DĂaz hinted, to questions from journalist and moderator Rafael LenĂn LĂłpez, that those votes for the confirmation and release of Mr. Hermes Ăvila were in some way related to some type of exchange between that potential contractor, a relative of the murderer, and some senators.â
DĂaz SĂĄnchez has been stating in the media that he has information about Ăvilaâs release that has irritated the victimâs family and outraged the entire people of Puerto Rico, the veteran senator said.
âDue to the seriousness of the matter, I request that you immediately summon Mr. Carlos DĂaz to testify under oath so that he can offer the information and evidence that he has that will clarify this unfortunate event âŠ,â Rivera Schatz added in the letter.
If Rivera Schatzâs allegations are true, Rivera Schatz said, he would have implicated PDP senators, including Senate President JosĂ© Luis Dalmau Santiago, who is in charge of the Appointments Committee. Escobar PabĂłn confirmed on Thursday that she will appear at a public hearing Friday at 10 a.m. in the Senate on the Ăvila VĂĄzquez incident after failing to show up for a hearing on Wednesday.
âIt would be disastrous if potential people involved in the release scheme are summoning the secretary of the Department of Corrections to public hearings or interrogation sessions, which they confirmed in the circumstances alleged by Mr. DĂaz,â the Senate minority leader said.
The NPP Senate delegation also voted for Escobar PabĂłn, who is an NPP activist.
In 2005, Ăvila VĂĄzquez was sentenced to 122 years in prison after pleading guilty to the murder of Celia LĂłpez GarcĂa, a 28-year-old therapist and mother of two children, which occurred in Caguas. However, he was released from prison after submitting a request in April 2023 under Law 25-1992, which allows for the release of inmates who have AIDS or other terminal illnesses. Upon his release, he allegedly killed a woman with whom he had had a relationship, Ivette Joan MelĂ©ndez Vega, 56, in ManatĂ.
Ăvila VĂĄzquez, 52, faces four charges of first-degree murder in the form of intimate femicide, possession and use of a knife, destruction of evidence, and illegal appropriation of a vehicle, according to the Justice Department.