Teenager accused in fatal Aibonito stabbing is deemed fit to stand trial

By THE STAR STAFF

Following the evaluation of Anthonieska Avilés Cabrera, Judge Paola Morales Vélez of the Aibonito Court has ruled that she is eligible for prosecution in the slaying of Gabriela Nicole Pratts Rosario, which occurred last February.

The determination was made after a state expert examined the young woman’s case.

The judge’s decision also came one month after the same court previously ruled that Anthonieska Avilés Cabrera was unfit to face the murder charges filed against her.

Avilés Cabrera is a 17-year-old accused of first-degree murder alongside her mother, Elvia Cabrera Rivera, for the stabbing death of Pratts Rosario, another Aibonito teenager.

Judge Morales Vélez had considered the testimony of state expert José Malavé, who evaluated the accused.

According to Malavé’s evaluation, the accused exhibits limitations in understanding specific aspects of the legal process. He observed a deficit in attention, slow information processing, and delayed reactions. As a result, Malavé determined that Avilés Cabrera was at the time “not prosecutable” due to her inability to cooperate with the defense.

In the latest evaluation, it was determined that she was capable of understanding and helping out with her defense.

Attorney Rocío Revelles, who represents Avilés Cabrera, also revealed that her client was evaluated by Víctor Ramos Otero, the island Health secretary.

The evaluation took place last Thursday at the Ponce Psychiatric Hospital, where Avilés Cabrera has been housed since last month.

“We were informed that the secretary of health of Puerto Rico came to evaluate our client,” Revelles said as she left the courtroom where Avilés Cabrera was declared fit to stand trial.

Later on Wednesday, Justice Secretary Lourdes Gómez Torres defended the medical evaluation of Avilés Cabrera conducted by Ramos Otero, stating that the intervention was legitimate and was carried out in the performance of his duties as head of the hospital.

“The Secretary of Health, as head of the hospital where the accused was being held, and based on his pediatric specialty, conducted a strictly physical evaluation of the accused, which he is empowered to do,” Gómez Torres said in a written statement.

The justice secretary noted that the medical intervention occurred after several unsuccessful attempts to find an available pediatrician.

“We were informed that there were more than five attempts to obtain a specialist to evaluate her, so Dr. Ramos performed a physical evaluation, which is recorded in the hospital’s medical record,” Gómez Torres said. “Under HIPAA law, which protects patient confidentiality, we cannot provide additional details.”

She also specified that the evaluation was not coordinated by the Justice Department, but rather by the Mental Health and Anti-Addiction Services Administration as part of the medical care process.