The preliminary trial against Antonio and Maribel Espaillat, the owners of the now-infamous Jet Set nightclub, has been scheduled for 12 January 2026. The date was set by Judge Raymundo Mejía of the First Investigating Court of the National District, just one week after the Public Ministry formally filed an indictment.
The Espaillat siblings face charges of involuntary manslaughter and involuntary assault and battery stemming from the devastating roof collapse at their popular venue on 8 April 2025, which claimed the lives of 236 people and injured over 180, according to official reports released Friday.
The tragedy, one of the deadliest non-natural disasters in the country’s history, occurred in the early hours of the morning while hundreds of patrons were attending a performance by Dominican merengue star Rubby Pérez, who was also among the fatalities, along with one of his orchestra’s musicians.
According to the Public Ministry’s investigation, the Jet Set, long considered a landmark of Santo Domingo’s nightlife, “operated with systematic and grave negligence in the maintenance and structural adequacy of its facilities, placing the lives of its clients and employees at risk” for years.
The owners, Antonio and Maribel Espaillat, were initially detained last June but were granted conditional release a few days later pending trial.
The human cost of the structural failure was immense, impacting both local figures and the international community.
• Prominent Dominican fatalities included former U.S. Major League Baseball pitcher Octavio Dotel, designer Martín Polanco, and a son of former Senate President and Minister of Public Works Eduardo Estrella.
• Foreign nationals among the deceased included 18 Venezuelans, three Hispano-Dominicans, two French citizens, a Haitian, a Colombian, a Costa Rican, an Italian, and a Kenyan.
The legal process against the Espaillat family is now advancing, as the January trial date brings victims’ families one step closer to accountability and closure for the mass casualty event.
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El Nacional
17 November 2025