Icelandic girl murdered in Cabarete (september 2008)

frank12

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Sep 6, 2011
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I decided to re-print this in the Living Forum under it's own title so it will be easier for the Icelandic girl's family to find this story and know what did and did not transpire regarding their daughter's murder, investigation, and the follow up.

I spent two and a half days in the most horrific jails that I have ever seen in my life. Well, I stand corrected…I’ve seen some pretty horrific looking jails on the TV documentary “Locked up abroad” that look just as horrific. Still, the prisons here make the Turkish prison from the movie "Midnight Express" looks like a 5 star hotel.

This past Sunday (September, 21, 2008) a girl, Lilia, from Iceland was killed in her hotel. She sat at my bar Friday night for about an hour, dancing and talking with the musician, Mackie, as I counted my bank at the end of the night. She was a very nice, beautiful girl. She was also the manager of a nearby hotel.

After closing, it was raining, so I gave her a ride home; I have to pass her hotel on my way home.

Saturday night, she came by the bar again with a Dominican girlfriend of hers and sat at my bar for a little while. But it was Saturday evening and I was so busy that I didn't have time to talk. Besides, I was also talking to a Norwegian girl I had just met, Camilla, when Lilia and her friend stopped in. Lilia and the Dominican girl left together and I was so busy that I didn't have time to say goodbye to them.

Three days later, on Tuesday morning, I was sitting here at Lax drinking coffee and reading the New York Times newspaper online when I got a call from my boss who, sounding urgent, told me to hurry and come by work, which is only two doors down from where I was sitting. When I got to work, three undercover police officers stopped me at the office entrance and told me to come with them; they said that they had some questions they wanted to ask me about an Icelandic girl that managed a nearby hotel. I said sure and went with them.

We went to the hotel where Lilia was killed and there were no less than 10 undercover officers from as far away as Santo Domingo, Santiago, Puerto Plata, including a general running the investigation. On the way to the hotel I found out that Lilia was killed. Once we got to the hotel, a General running the investigation, asked me how I knew Lilia, and where I was on Sunday, and what was I doing. I told them that I was at work all day and night on Sunday watching American football with the owners of the bar and some friends and regular customers. I also told them that I went home to exercise and take a shower around 5pm or 6pm, but that I came back to watch the evening 9pm game with Franky, the owner’s son.

After hearing what little I knew about Lilia, they told me I was a suspect and that I needed to go with some police to answer some more questions at the police station. I said sure, let’s go. But before leaving, I told the General very politely (you have to be very careful how to speak to the police and military here) “Sir, I don’t know anything about police investigations ( I felt like Peter Falk in Columbo), but if it is true what the police just told me on the way here that Lilia was stabbed to death, then I think everyone who is a suspect, myself included, should be asked to remove their clothes and checked for any defensive wounds—like scratches or cuts (I was thinking about the OJ Simpson case)—that Lilia may have had the opportunity to inflict on the killer while defending herself from being stabbed to death.” He looked at me like I was crazy, and then he nodded and mumbled something and told me to go with the police.

At the police station they put me in a prison cell 10x10 feet with eight Haitians and three Dominicans. There were 12 of us now. All the Haitians were construction workers. I know because I asked everyone why they were here. I’m nosy like that when I get put in a crowded jail cell with a bunch of half-naked men and I’m bored.

In the jail cells in this country, there is no running water, no electricity and no food. Here, there is only a hole in the floor for a toilet. The hole however, is over flowing with human excrement. The excrement lies drying on the floor surrounding the toilet. Every one urinates inside the prison against a hole that flows out onto the grounds surrounding the jail cell. However, the urine collects in pools of broken concrete inside the cell so only some of it reaches the outside. The rest lies in puddles a few feet from everyone. The smell inside the jail cells (there are only two cells--one for women and one for men) is so unbelievably strong that you can hardly breath without vomiting (the heat inside the jail hovers around 100 degrees because the concrete bakes in the hot sun all day).

Every one stands on the other side of the cell as far away from the toilet and human waste as possible. The problem is that you are never more than a few feet away from the toilet because the cells are only 10x10 feet. Inside the cell there are wet clothes everywhere left by past prisoners. They’re wet from being used as toilet paper and being urinated on. The smell and conditions inside the cells is so unbelievable that no movie or book could possibly put it into perspective.

Sometime around 2am on the first night they brought in a tall, 6'2 Haitian Drag Queen in a torn pink tutu dress and high heels and a blond wig. She assumed the position right beside me where she proceeded to started snoring as she lay sleeping next to me, resting her synthetic wig on my shoulder. It was surreal. I wish someone would have taken a picture. I would pay a lot of money for that now. I would make it the cover of a book.

I spent a day and a half there and after the second day I was moved to another jail cell in Puerto Plata. On the way to Puerto Plata we picked up another prisoner in the Sosua, Kelvin—a well-known kite surfer here in Cabarete; he was being held as a suspect in the girl’s murder as well.

I should stop here and catch everyone up with a few facts: In the prison cell in Cabarete, there were three Dominican men along with me who were being held as suspects in the girl’s murder. One guy was the nighttime security man (watchie-man) who saw me come and go on Friday. He confirmed to the police that the only time he ever saw me at the hotel was on Friday when I dropped the girl off; he confirmed what I had already told the police the day before—the only time I had been at the hotel was on Friday night, two days before she was murdered. You would think that would be enough to release me but not here, not in this country. The other Dominican was an employee (gardener) of the hotel who came by for his paycheck. The other Dominican was a motoconcho driver that stood outside the hotel. I asked all of them, “did the police ask any of you to take off your shirts to check for defensive wounds or cuts?”
“NO, why would they do that?” they asked me, looking at me like I was crazy.

After the second day in jail in Cabarete, they moved me to Puerto Plata, picking up Kelvin on the way. Kelvin and I got handcuffed together and taken to another jail cell in Puerto Plata. Once there, we were locked up with about 20 Dominican men who immediately surrounded us and asked us for any money or food, water or anything else we could afford to buy from the prison guards. I’m an obvious foreigner to the prisoners despite speaking fluent Dominican. Still, everyone focused their immediate attention on me. It started getting a little too aggressive so I took off my shirt, preparing for a fight. I told them calmly (you have be very calm and patient in these situation; you don’t want to force anyone into having to defend their pride in front of their friends) “Ok, if we’re going to fight, let’s fight and get it over with because I have no money. Afterwards, we can tell stories and joke about life.” This calmed everyone down. But they also looked me over and for whatever reason, decided I was poor and had no money. That was probably due to the fact that I had just spent a day and half in jail in Cabarete—my clothes were very, very dirty, but it might also have been because I haven’t been to the dentist in years to get my teeth cleaned and my mom thinks I look homeless. Some people just have that homeless look about them.

The prison cell in Puerto Plata has a tile floor, unlike the concrete floor I just slept on for a day and a half in Cabarete. I got comfortable as possible and started on my nap with one eye open. The jail cell in Puerto Plata also has no water as well, but it also has a hole in the floor with human waste over-flowing from it as well.

The prison guards here make their money from getting money from the prisoners who send them out to go and buy water, food and cigarettes. There is no food inside the jails here, no water either so, you need family members or friends to bring you food or drinks to the jail for you.

Luckily, while I was in jail for two days in Caberete, my bosses were sending food and drinks every hour to me. It was so much food and drinks that I shared it with everyone inside, including the guards. But in Puerto Plata, I don't have any friends nearby so I was going to use my money I had in my pocket to buy whatever I needed. The problem with having money on you in jail is that there are 20 other men inside the jail cell with you who have absolutely no money whatsoever, so robbery is what they're forced to do. In jail here, you better be tough if you're going to be locked up with a group of drug dealers, murderers, rapists, and just generally feel-good, law-abiding, god fearing, generous Christian soldiers…like myself.

My father always told me: "Listen, son, if you're going to be stupid in life, then you better be tough."

I had been in Puerto Plata jail for about 8 hours when Kelvin woke me up around 11pm at night. I was sleeping when Kelvin woke me, telling me, “Frank, the guard is calling our names.”
“Really, why?”
“I don’t know.”

We walked up to the gate. The guard unlocked the door and told us to follow him and two other men. We went outside in the back of the jail house and then into another entrance and down a hallway into the front part of the building. Once there, we met another three men with guns, two holding AR-15’s or M16’s. I’m not sure.

One of the men, obviously in charge asked me, “Are you Franklin?”
“Yes sir.”
“OK, have a seat. You’ll be leaving soon.” Then he turned to Kelvin and said, we are going to talk and you are going to tell me everything, you understand?”
“Yes, sir,” Kelvin answered.

They all disappeared except for the one guard with the M16; he was left standing next to me.

20 minutes later, Kelvin and the officers returned. Kelvin looked not in a great mood or state. The person in charge turned to me and Kelvin and said, “You guys can go now,” and then pointed down a long, dark hallway.
I looked down the hallway, and asked “Go where?” I couldn’t see any exit. There was no light on. Apparently they teach energy conservation here in jail. Who knew?

“Just walk down to the end of hallway and turn right.” He answered.
“But I don’t see any exit, sir.” I looked over at Kelvin; he was just as confused as I was. I got a really bad feeling that this was some kind of set-up…a trap.

I started walking, and Kelvin started to follow me. I looked back and there were four men standing behind us with guns…one of them with an AR-15 or M16. This would be the perfect opportunity to shoot us and say that we tried to escape after confessing to the murder.

Let me back up now and catch you up with some other things that happened the first day I was in jail. Frank, my boss and owner of the restaurant where I work at, called Ted Foster—the American consulate representative for the north coast. Ted came by the jail house in Cabarete. The guards came over to the cell and called my name and opened the jail cell door. I shook everyone’s hand wished them good luck. I was going home…I thought. I mean, I knew I would be getting out, but I just didn’t think it would take 5 hours before they released me on lack of evidence or misunderstanding or whatever mistake they made. Boy was I Wrong!

Ted Foster just stopped by because it was part of his job to look in on American citizens in jail. We went to the front parking lot in front of the Cabarate jail and started talking. He told me to just sit tight because I was probably going to be in jail for 48 hours. After that, he said, they either have to charge you or let you go. I laughed. But I also thanked him for the advice. But I knew that I would be there for no more than a few more hours simply because there must have been some kind of misunderstanding between the general and the police. Either that or, maybe the general was just too busy and didn’t realize I was sitting in jail. I mean, what other reason would there be for me to be sitting in jail when clearly, I had nothing to do with a girl who was killed on Sunday evening sometime, and the last time I saw here was at work on Saturday. Wrong again.

Kelvin and I kept walking down the dark hallway, looking for the exit. I kept glancing behind me and listening for a click of someone taking the safety off of their gun. I knew this would mean the end. This would be a terrible way to go…I hadn’t even got my teeth cleaned yet, and my clothes were in an awful state. I also hadn’t pooped in 3 days. Something about pooping in front of 20 strangers makes me nervous. I didn’t want to make a mess all over the place. I needed soap, I needed water. I needed to be clean if my mom was going to see me in a coffin.

When we got outside, Kelvin and I were so excited that we were running to find a taxi to get the hell out of town. When we found a taxi, we were laughing non-stop on the way back to Cabarete. We were nervous, we were happy, we were drunk with freedom. And this…after only spending 2 and a half days in jail! Imagine people getting out after 10, 15, 20 years in prison. I can’t even imagine the feeling of freedom and elation that would overcome them.

We kept on patting each other on the shoulder and saying "We're Free!" it was so funny that it had only taken three days in
jail here to understand how good it feels to be outside and to be able to walk across a street and be free.

Continued...
 
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frank12

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Sep 6, 2011
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Continued...

Update

They still have no idea who killed Lilia. She was found with hand-cuff marks or strap marks around her wrist. Next door to her, in the hotel room directly next to hers, lived two police officers. I want to know what the hell they had to say about everything. When she was found, her hands were still together as if she had been handcuffed or tied but then after dying, they had taken the handcuffs or straps or rope off of her wrist, but her hands remained together as if she was still handcuffed—at least that’s what they told me. I’m no rocket scientist but, that's where I would focus my
attention if I was the investigator.

The jail experience was very interesting for me, and I have nothing negative to really say about it except for the conditions of the inside of the jail cells and the human excrement everywhere. But as I told the American embassy representative, Ted Foster, who came to see me, I passed my time doing push-ups and telling jokes with Haitians and listening to everyone's story. So for me, even though the police here are totally inept and corrupt, I’m happy that I got to experience the jails here—both in Cabarete and in Puerto Plata. I wouldn't change that experience for anything…as long as I don't have to go back anytime soon. But even then, I know I would pass the time reading my books and talking to people and listening to everyone’s stories. At the end of the day, that’s what I enjoy about life.

Experiences like these are important and interesting, but only if you got the right attitude in life.

Frank
 

zoomzx11

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Jan 21, 2006
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Sad. Of course no one was ever caught for the murder of the poor girl. The police have to do something when they dont know what to do so they put everybody in the vicinity in jail for a few days. That way they are able to say something is being done. Such a level of ineptitiude is unbelievable. No wonder the murders in the DR go unsolved most of the time.
You have a great atttitude towards your mistreatment. I admire you not letting the experience embitter you towards the cops.
 

tomas2

Member
Nov 29, 2005
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The way I heard it (take what you want, leave the rest) the police actually did it. Without going into too much detail, there were some personal conduct ?police taxes? that were not being paid, and during the process of encouraging payment, things got out of hand, and she was (somewhat accidentally) killed.

At the time it was seen as a significant\troubling escalation of tactics (killing of a gringa\tourist in her own apt?she was working there, but had been there less than a year), and either brilliant, since everyone would know they had to pay no matter who they were, or pretty stupid, because it threatened to expose a lot of things due to the international interest.

The police did the best they could to totally contaminate the scene (there were pictures in the on-line rags of Dominicans traipsing through the very bloody scene, taking pictures, touching things, etc (even as the body was still out front on a stretcher).

And then there was a roundup of locals (as Frank described?I believe there were more surfer dudes that were swept in as well). People in town were pretty afraid to talk about it. Not many people knew her, and they didn?t want to get mixed up in it.

And then it went away.
 

young seniors

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Feb 1, 2012
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WOW What a story. Glad you came out safe. Sure does open ones eyes as to how the justice system works in the DR.
 

Hispanola

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Feb 4, 2011
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I just read your thread for the first time and it gave me the chills.
Makes me rethink about living in this Dominican Paradise (on the surface).

The fact that ?Ted Foster—the American consulate representative for the north coast.? came to visit you probably made a big psychological difference in your mind and in the mind of the police, you weren?t alone anymore, there were people higher-up monitoring the results, nobody (police) was going to shoot you in the back without having international reprecussions.

You were lucky you never applied for full Dominican citizenship as the results could have been much different, Ted Foster—the American consulate representative for the north coast would not have had to visit you, I think.
 

Khv

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Dec 22, 2019
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Hello Frank, I was related to the girl in question. Do you know anything more about this case, now over 11 years since it happened?
 

frank12

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Sep 6, 2011
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Hello Frank, I was related to the girl in question. Do you know anything more about this case, now over 11 years since it happened?

Only what the police & a journalist from Iceland told me. I will relay it here this afternoon when i get back. Check here for an update.

Frank
 

etolw

Banned
Oct 6, 2018
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You got the name misspelled, it is Hrafnhildur Lilja Georgsdóttir

A Franklin Genao ( the sanki) were arrested for the murder.
I do not know if he were sentenced.

Join this facebook to know more

https://www.facebook.com/groups/83166977369/permalink/10151954580872370/

Cabarete, By Milton Camacho.-The national police yesterday brought to justice a young man whom he unionized as the person responsible for the death of blows and slashes of Icelandic Hrafnhildor Lilja Geolgsdottw, 29, found the day before yesterday inside his room of the “Extreme” hotel of this Municipal District. The uniformed proceeded to submit the appointed Franklin Genao to justice, alias (the sanki) alleged author of assassinating the foreigner who served as the manager of the aforementioned hotel, with whom it was reported, had a romantic relationship. Also, Kelvin Corniel Fermín (American Dominican) and Paola Jiménez are under investigation to determine their complicity, according to official information offered to this digital newspaper. The commission of senior officers ordered by the chief of the National Police General, General Rafael Guillermo Guzman Fermin, acted quickly in the case and in a few hours arrested these three main suspects. It was reported that in the next few hours the preliminary data of the horrendous crime that has dismayed the population in a general sense will be informed according to the interrogations of the investigative bodies and members of the public ministry.
 
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frank12

Gold
Sep 6, 2011
11,847
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You got the name misspelled, it is Hrafnhildur Lilja Georgsdóttir

A Franklin Genao ( the sanki) were arrested for the murder.
I do not know is he were sentenced.

Cabarete, By Milton Camacho.-The national police yesterday brought to justice a young man whom he unionized as the person responsible for the death of blows and slashes of Icelandic Hrafnhildor Lilja Geolgsdottw, 29, found the day before yesterday inside his room of the “Extreme” hotel of this Municipal District. The uniformed proceeded to submit the appointed Franklin Genao to justice, alias (the sanki) alleged author of assassinating the foreigner who served as the manager of the aforementioned hotel, with whom it was reported, had a romantic relationship. Also, Kelvin Corniel Fermín (American Dominican) and Paola Jiménez are under investigation to determine their complicity, according to official information offered to this digital newspaper. The commission of senior officers ordered by the chief of the National Police General, General Rafael Guillermo Guzman Fermin, acted quickly in the case and in a few hours arrested these three main suspects. It was reported that in the next few hours the preliminary data of the horrendous crime that has dismayed the population in a general sense will be informed according to the interrogations of the investigative bodies and members of the public ministry.

That's both funny, and really bad reporting. I'm Frank Genao. I was released, along with everyone else, roughly 30-hours of being arrested. I was back at work three days later.

I'll try and fill in some blanks in a few hours.

Frank
 

etolw

Banned
Oct 6, 2018
816
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:rolleyes::rolleyes:

That IS really funny. Tha Sanki.....

I guess the facebook group dedicated to the girl tells the truth then,


Still no one has been found guilty for taking this beautiful woman so brutally from us.
The police of the Dominican Republic has stopped formal inquiry of the murder, without any conclusion. They will open the case up again if any new leads surface
 

frank12

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Sep 6, 2011
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Hello Frank, I was related to the girl in question. Do you know anything more about this case, now over 11 years since it happened?

KVH,

I doubt i can tell you anything more then you already know, but, having said that, I'll do my best.

An investigative journalist/reporter from Iceland contacted me about 4-years ago. He told me this:

1.) The Dominican police had contacted Lilia's family and asked them for money. The police said something to the effect that they had a suspect, he was in the south--Punta Cana--area, and they would need money for fuel, detainment (keeping him under arrest), etc. Apparently, the police wanted money to go and arrest him and bring him back to the north coast.

I believe the Icelandic journalist said that Lilia's family did not give the police any money, and the journalist was under the impression that they would not give the police any money in the future. He asked me for my opinion on this, and i told him that I agree 100%...giving the police money is a bad idea and it was most likely a scam in order to try and procure money.


2.) The laws in the DR are such that, after 24hrs, they either have to charge you or release you. Everyone I was in jail with was released.

3.) This is after the fact, but i have to mention this anyway: had the hotel had one single video camera (they now have them) showing the coming and goings of people, they could have narrowed their investigation on one or two individuals immediately. Had they had a camera, neither me and the others would have spent three days in jail.

4.) It seems it could be a crime of passion. A.) I was told nothing was stolen from her room (I.E-laptop, mobile phone, wallet, etc; B.) she was stabbed to death. Stabbings involve being up close and personal, and are usually a crime of passion, but not always.

5.) I would like to know, although i'm almost certain (being the Dominican Republic) it was never done--if the police or any forensic team cut Lilia's fingernails after she was taken to the morgue and checked them for skin & DNA evidence. Had she scratched the person/persons who stabbed her--and it seems likely she did--she would have their DNA underneath her fingernails.

6. Looking back at this thread, I see some people are confused about some things. I'll try and clarify a few things, and if you have any questions, send me a friend request on Facebook (because you do not have enough postings here on DR1 to send me a Private message), and i will answer any questions you have.

A.) I'm a Dominican Citizen (my father is Dominican). I'm also an American citizen, and a Norwegian Permanent Resident for 28yrs now. I work in Norway, the US, and recently the DR as well.

B.) I was only at Lilia's hotel on Friday night. She was killed on Sunday. Had I been there on Sunday for any reason, i would probably be sitting in jail right now. I simply would not have had a good reason to be there after dropping her off on Friday night.

C.) On my way back and forth to Norway, I sometimes fly Icelandic Air. As you know, all flights stop in Reykjavik. I'm more then happy to stop on my next flight back to Norway and speak to the police and give them my version of events. I'll do that out of my pocket if necessary.

Send me Facebook request (Frank Genao), and i'm more then happy to answer any questions.

Frank
 

CristoRey

Welcome To Wonderland
Apr 1, 2014
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Just one of the many gringo murders that went unsolved.

Haitian/ Dominican murders go unsolved as well.
I knew a Dominican girl who was murdered in the
fall of 2014. The police arrested her killer, then let
him go due to "lack of evidence". Everyone I know
in Charamicos was talking about how things went
south. She was estranged from her family, no one
came forth to collect the body or pursue it further.

Also remember a really young Haitian girl murdered in
a pension in Charamicos in 2013. She was killed by a
Haitian guy who'd been recently deported from Boston
back to Haiti, the two of them apparently met in Haiti,
he followed her over to the DR and after killing her he
udkedcf back to Haiti, nothing else came of it.

Moral of the story? Learn to get along with your neighbors
and get to know the people you see on a regular basis because
heaven forbid you be down here alone, without any real friends
and someone decides to kill ya... Wouldn't ya want justice to
be served?