PUNTA GORDA TOWN, Toledo District, Mon. Mar. 18, 2019–Alexander Ruiz, 37, who police say is the main suspect in the murder of Luis Cabrera, 18, which occurred last Wednesday, has so far only been charged for the death of his friend, William Garcia, 32, after the motorcycle on which they had been travelling crashed into a lamppost.

Ruiz was arraigned today in the Punta Gorda Magistrate’s Court on charges of driving without due care and attention, causing death by careless conduct, and manslaughter by negligence. He is currently out on bail.
He has yet to be charged for Cabrera’s murder. Police refrained from going into details on why there has not been any murder charge so far.

On Wednesday, March 13, Cabrera went to a bar to celebrate recently getting the documents necessary to register his new boat. Ruiz and Garcia were already at the bar drinking, and Ruiz allegedly became jealous when Cabrera was talking to the female bartender, who was actually the girlfriend of Cabrera’s cousin.

To avoid confrontation, Cabrera decided to leave about 20 minutes after he arrived. That is when Ruiz broke a bottle and allegedly stabbed him in the neck. Cabrera found a taxi that was outside of the bar and asked the driver to rush him to the hospital, where he unfortunately succumbed to his injuries.

Ruiz and Garcia jumped on Ruiz’s motorcycle, but crashed shortly after leaving Punta Gorda Town. Garcia died on the spot.