Jazheil Morel in a fit of rage threw two cups of coffee at a convenience store employee. He lost his job with the Nationals Baseball Academy and now he will need to face a suit handled by high profile lawyer Felix Portes. Portes made a name for himself when defending Sobeyda Felix Morel, the spouse of big-time drug trafficker Jose David Figuereo Agosto
Raysa Vasquez, the young woman to whom Morel threw the two hot coffee cups at the gas station, yesterday is suing. Her lawyer Portes has filed the complaint for gender violence, injuries and other criminal charges. Morel was arrested on Monday, 24 August 2020.
Portes alleges that Raysa Vasquez suffered first degree burns and psychological damages. He said her defense is presenting a medical certificate to prove this. He said the woman would be evaluated by an ophthalmologist, as he said she has suffered blurred vision.
The incident occurred on 14 August at a convenience store of a gas station. When the video went viral, the individual was identified. Morel turned himself in on Monday, 24 August. His lawyers argue the woman never stopped working after the incident. The video also led to the firing of the man when he was identified by his employers, the Nationals Baseball Academy in Boca Chica.
Interviewed on El Sol de la Mañana radio talk show, Portes said that the Penal Code establishes a sentence of up to five years in prison for those who commit gender violence against women, whether verbal, psychological, or physical. “It is a culture that we, unfortunately, have in the Dominican Republic, where men believe themselves to be superior to women, where men abuse their physical conditions and assault women,” he said.
In turn, speaking for Morel, Jose Rafael Ariza said that his defendant cannot be accused of gender violence. Ariza argues that Morel is not a partner of the victim and cannot be accused of simple theft because taking two coffees is not classified as theft.
He explained Morel’s aggression saying his client is going through personal issues that compounded by the stress created by the pandemic, led him to “get overly upset”.
Morel was interrogated yesterday morning by the authorities of the Public Ministry. He was left under arrest at the Palacio de Justicia in Ciudad Nueva.
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25 August 2020