The murder of Julio Reyes Perez, 66, and his wife Nereida Urbaez, 55, has caused a wave of anti-Haitian feelings in the area of Pedernales in the southwest region of the Dominican Republic.
The National Police have announced that they are processing the paperwork for the extradition of the Haitian Noel Ednol (aka Libon) who has been detained by Haitian authorities. Libon is a suspect in the murder of the elderly couple. He was arrested in Haiti after allegedly fleeing Pedernales on 19 February 2018, following the machete attack of the Reyes and Urbaez during a robbery.
At the time of his arrest he was driving the Suzuki AX-100 motorcycle that he alledgedly stole from Perez after the murder. Perez died instantly from his wounds and his wife passed away three weeks later, not being able to recover from the injuries suffered.
Although there is apparently no formal extradition treaty between the Dominican Republic and Haiti (according to press reports), experts say that the police forces in each country normally cooperate in order to bring criminals to justice who flee across the border. The Dominican authorities are confident that the suspect will be brought to justice in the Dominican Republic.
According to the Diario Libre, as soon as the murders were reported, the National Police and local authorities worked hard to calm the angry mob that called for all Haitian migrants to leave the town of Pedernales. Large numbers of undocumented Haitians live and work in Pedernales.
Officers and agents of the border security force (Cesfront), the National Police, and the Army worked with local civil authorities including the provincial governor and judicial authorities to assuage the rage and violent reprisals.
They issued a statement asking for the Haitian authorities to turn over as soon as possible the Haitian citizen accused of killing the two elderly persons. As a result, tempers were cooled and the families of the victims are waiting for the judicial process to take over.
Interior Minister Carlos Amarante urged people not to take justice into their own hands and announced that the Haitian authorities had detained one suspect and were preparing to turn him over to Dominican authorities.
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Diario Libre
Hoy
El Nacional
15 March 2018
