Dominican Republic - Lindsay de Feliz, 64, British expat, murdered, 10 Dec 2019 *Husband/Son arrest

[Tortoise]

This is a snip from the details released by police (posted above) of what happened on December 10th:

for these purposes they simulated the disappearance of the lady, leaving her DANILO and ZAYA, at a bus stop in the Municipality of Navarrete, at about 1:30 p.m. on 10-12-2019, so that she alone would go in a vehicle of public transport to the Municipality of Moncion, and they claimed that they would continue to the city of Juan Dolio in San Pedro de Macorís, which they used as an alibi to detach themselves from the disappearance and death of the lady;
Sin Pelos En la Lengua

And this is a snip from Lindsay's last blog post on 29th November, recanting a very similar situation. Lindsay having to catch buses while Danilo had the car and would be able to get to their home ahead of her. It makes me wonder if this was planned for that day also, but something prevented the plan from being fulfilled.


Then this week, we had another court case to go to, and once again I was the interpreter. This one was in Gaspar Hernandez, even further away, [...]

He was then off to Santo Domingo again,it was agreed to drop me off in Santiago, from where I could get two buses home. This time, he said he knew how to use Google maps and he could set it up rather than Dany. We needed to get to what we call the rotunda in Santiago, which means roundabout. It is where the buses for Mao leave from, and there used to be a roundabout there, many years ago, but it is now traffic lights. For some reason we seemed to end up going around and around Santiago, until we realised that Danilo had put in the location as rotunda and nothing else, so Google was sending us to every roundabout there was. Hey ho. Eventually I made it home.

What about your saucepans?: Birthday month

 

[Hatfield]

Lindsay wrote a guest post on another blog, about cultural differences and reverse culture shock after her three week trip to England last Christmas. Meet Lindsay de Feliz

She wrote -

"there appears to be a disregard for the sanctity of life with no one wearing helmets or protective clothing on motorbikes, no seatbelts when driving and even driving with one hand on the wheel and a bottle of beer in the other hand. Rather than feeling appalled, I felt an incredible sense of freedom, as if the years of the shackles of rules and regulations had been broken.

"..at first, I was reluctant to share my things and my money. I had worked for it. I had bought it so why should I just give it away? Slowly, as time went on, I became less selfish and ‘things’ that had been important to me were just ‘things’ with no need to hold onto them jealously.

"The disappearance of my possessions was replaced with the refreshing feeling of freedom.

"Family members taking things from your home is normal and accepted behaviour. They believe you can afford to lose things as you are richer than they are, and this practice continues with most dentists, doctors, lawyers and the like charging significantly more to non-Dominicans –- just thinking of the cash today, not the possibility of a long-term relationship which could provide more money over time.

"Having been in the country for 18 years now, married to a Dominican for 14, I can say I am completely aplantanado as they say — like a plantain banana — as I now act and think like a Dominican in many ways.

But the biggest culture shock was to realise that although England had changed, I had changed even more.

To me the organisation which I used to embrace felt stifling and the need for order made me smile again and again. Everything had its place in all parts of the home, and woe betide you if you put sometime in the wrong place. There was a way of doing everything and no room for bucking the trend. I realised I had become completely laissez faire and making sure the spices were in order on the spice rack just was not important in the scheme of things.

The English organisation spread throughout all elements of life. Cars had to be parked in a certain place and a certain way – in the DR you can park wherever you want.

Encounters with policemen were serious issues, often ending with a fine, whereas in the DR it was a quick chat, a laugh and a joke and, once you handed over the obligatory bribe, you could go on your way.

You had to pay for what you bought in the shops, when you bought it. No more could my purchase be written down on a scrap of torn off cardboard to be paid for later.

I had not realised that embracing the culture of a different country can change you forever and make it impossible for you to return to being the person you once were.
As I tell so many new arrivals to the country now when they complain about the behaviour of Dominicans, “It is not wrong, it is different”.

"I often find myself wondering, why is it that we need so much order in our lives when Dominicans don’t at all?



I am now wondering about all this and her support for her husband's new profession in the law and prosecutions. Was she really now so laissez-faire? Or was she afraid to admit that she was the victim of abuse, and did still harbour a desire for law and order. She didn't even seem to be interested in the prosecution of the man who had bashed her head in and tried to suffocate her, leaving her with neurological damage. Maybe it's not so black and white, I don't know.

JMO
Wow. I feel so bad for her because I think she was manipulated horribly by her husband.

The dog food bags that were found with her body that matched the same dog food bags that were used in her home convinces me he is guilty.

And although some differences in culture may seem appealing, I have to totally disagree with her thinking on this particular item below. Paying bribes to LE is not right and should be illegal from both the public and LE point of view. How can anyone get real justice when bribes are involved.

"Encounters with policemen were serious issues, often ending with a fine, whereas in the DR it was a quick chat, a laugh and a joke and, once you handed over the obligatory bribe, you could go on your way."

If anyone just got culture shock. Its me from reading that and now definitely never want to visit there.

 

[Satchie]

It's the same article I quoted a few posts above your post (post #12).

Ooops, so sorry, I had even 'liked' your post.

I've been lurking on a DR expat forum where she used to post, that link was only posted there yesterday.

I agree that the fact that she wrote so much about her personal life and her wonderful husband makes the case confusing, but also compelling. It's like, you see it from her eyes, and then maybe see more objectively what she couldn't see.

It reminds me of poor Helen Bailey, murdered by the man she wrote about as her "gorgeous gray-haired widower".

Latest news:
This article is confusing because I don't understand the legal terminology, but it may mean the husband, two stepsons and another man have been formally arrested, previously just held on suspicion:
PN apodera al MP expediente contra presuntos autores muerte ciudadana británica

Another very confusing article for an outsider, alleges the husband had links to a crime boss during his first run for mayor 10 years ago.
Esposo de británica aspiró a Alcaldía por el PLD - Periódico El Caribe - Mereces verdaderas respuestas

Lindsay wrote in her books and blog about the craziness they faced during this campaign.

 

[Tortoise]

Ooops, so sorry, I had even 'liked' your post.

I've been lurking on a DR expat forum where she used to post, that link was only posted there yesterday.

I agree that the fact that she wrote so much about her personal life and her wonderful husband makes the case confusing, but also compelling. It's like, you see it from her eyes, and then maybe see more objectively what she couldn't see.

It reminds me of poor Helen Bailey, murdered by the man she wrote about as her "gorgeous gray-haired widower".

Latest news:
This article is confusing because I don't understand the legal terminology, but it may mean the husband, two stepsons and another man have been formally arrested, previously just held on suspicion:
PN apodera al MP expediente contra presuntos autores muerte ciudadana británica

Another very confusing article for an outsider, alleges the husband had links to a crime boss during his first run for mayor 10 years ago.
Esposo de británica aspiró a Alcaldía por el PLD - Periódico El Caribe - Mereces verdaderas respuestas

Lindsay wrote in her books and blog about the craziness they faced during this campaign.

Yes, I'm also reminded of Helen Bailey. With the books and the blog, and not seeing the men they ended up married to for who they really were.

 

[Satchie]

Yes, I'm also reminded of Helen Bailey. With the books and the blog, and not seeing the men they ended up married to for who they really were.

And also, something about how choosing to love a person (or country) completely, means to some, abandoning normal ego defence mechanisms. Kind of like how a mother loves her children, unconditionally. (Just a btw, neither Lindsay or Helen Bailey had children. Not necessarily relevant, I'm quick to say, as a childless woman myself)

Someone posted this quote in regards to Lindsay,
Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.

This is from St. Paul, in the Bible. It was never intended, IMO, as a model for romantic love. The text uses the word 'agape', translated as charity, or brotherly (sisterly) love. It's spiritual, not romantic. Loving the troubled homeless person wisely, doesn't mean bringing them home to live with you and showering them with everything they ever desired, plus sacrificing your self. I guess that's what people call 'codependence'.

 

[Tortoise]

I think we're going to need someone who speaks Spanish here for some accurate translations going forwards. This is using google translate:

Judge Wanda Vargas, of the Judicial Office of Permanent Attention Services of the judicial district of Santiago Rodríguez , postponed next Wednesday the knowledge of coercive measures against a man, his two children and his driver, accused of murdering the wife of the first

[...] husband, Danilo Feliz Torres, 50 years old, allegedly killed her, in complicity with her [his] children (stepsons of the victim), José Alberto and Dani Alberto Feliz Martínez, 28 and 29 years old, respectively, and Aquilino Rosario Sánchez, 37, driver from [of] Feliz Torres.

Aplazan audiencia contra esposo e hijastros sospechosos de asesinar a británica

I'm guessing "coercive measures" means formal detention or indictment. And it's been delayed (but to when?) because they didn't receive timely notice.

 

[Tortoise]

I was just looking up criminal procedure in the DR.

No death penalty.
No juries.

Plus;

Pre-Trial Detainment

When a complaint is filed, the DA’s Office opens an investigation, and determines the validity of the complaint. If the DA’s Office deems the complaint to be valid, the facts are sent to an investigating judge (juez de la instrucción), who will decide, based on the evidence available, whether the detained person remains in police custody or is released while investigation of the charges continues. The rule is that the detained person be released unless he or she presents a flight risk. The burden is on the DA’s Office to justify taking coercive measures (medidas de coerción) against the accused such as imprisonment, house arrest, mandatory reporting to the DA’s Office, passport confiscation, or bail requirements. Any restriction to a person’s liberty must be exceptional, proportional to the danger presented (Article 40.9 of the Constitution), and cannot exceed one year.

Preliminary Hearing

At the preliminary hearing, the investigating judge will evaluate the gravity of the crime and sufficiency of the evidence against the accused and decide either that (i) there is insufficient evidence and order the accused be released (auto de no ha lugar) and the case closed, which can be appealed by the prosecutor, or (ii) the evidence is sufficient to indict the accused and therefore order the case to go to trial (auto de apertura a juicio). The case will be heard by either a sole judge or a panel of judges based on the gravity of the offense. There is no trial by jury.

Trial

A Court of First Instance (Juzgado de Primera Instancia) hears the case on its merits, and the presiding judge questions the accused to see if the testimony conforms to the facts contained in the documents presented for trial. At this time, the prosecutor and the attorneys for the defense and the private accuser question the accused. All parties may also call witnesses and present arguments for or against the accused. The accused have the right to remain silent during questioning. Finally, all parties present closing arguments. After hearing all the evidence and arguments, the presiding judge renders a verdict of guilty or innocent, and sets the sentence.

A trial could last for more than a year depending on the difficulty in obtaining witness testimony, attorney delays, or complications with evidence or other legal issues.

Appeals

The verdict may be appealed to a Court of Appeals (Corte de Apelación) within ten days of the Court of First Instance’s decision. An appellate court may only review matters of law, and its decision may be further appealed to the Supreme Court, which also rules only on the correct application of law. If the Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court decides that the law was incorrectly applied, the case is sent down to a different Court of First Instance for a retrial.

Guzmán Ariza | The Dominican Republic law firm

 

[Satchie]

I was just looking up criminal procedure in the DR.

No death penalty.
No juries.

Plus;

Pre-Trial Detainment

When a complaint is filed, the DA’s Office opens an investigation, and determines the validity of the complaint. If the DA’s Office deems the complaint to be valid, the facts are sent to an investigating judge (juez de la instrucción), who will decide, based on the evidence available, whether the detained person remains in police custody or is released while investigation of the charges continues. The rule is that the detained person be released unless he or she presents a flight risk. The burden is on the DA’s Office to justify taking coercive measures (medidas de coerción) against the accused such as imprisonment, house arrest, mandatory reporting to the DA’s Office, passport confiscation, or bail requirements. Any restriction to a person’s liberty must be exceptional, proportional to the danger presented (Article 40.9 of the Constitution), and cannot exceed one year.

Preliminary Hearing

At the preliminary hearing, the investigating judge will evaluate the gravity of the crime and sufficiency of the evidence against the accused and decide either that (i) there is insufficient evidence and order the accused be released (auto de no ha lugar) and the case closed, which can be appealed by the prosecutor, or (ii) the evidence is sufficient to indict the accused and therefore order the case to go to trial (auto de apertura a juicio). The case will be heard by either a sole judge or a panel of judges based on the gravity of the offense. There is no trial by jury.

Trial

A Court of First Instance (Juzgado de Primera Instancia) hears the case on its merits, and the presiding judge questions the accused to see if the testimony conforms to the facts contained in the documents presented for trial. At this time, the prosecutor and the attorneys for the defense and the private accuser question the accused. All parties may also call witnesses and present arguments for or against the accused. The accused have the right to remain silent during questioning. Finally, all parties present closing arguments. After hearing all the evidence and arguments, the presiding judge renders a verdict of guilty or innocent, and sets the sentence.

A trial could last for more than a year depending on the difficulty in obtaining witness testimony, attorney delays, or complications with evidence or other legal issues.

Appeals

The verdict may be appealed to a Court of Appeals (Corte de Apelación) within ten days of the Court of First Instance’s decision. An appellate court may only review matters of law, and its decision may be further appealed to the Supreme Court, which also rules only on the correct application of law. If the Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court decides that the law was incorrectly applied, the case is sent down to a different Court of First Instance for a retrial.

Guzmán Ariza | The Dominican Republic law firm

Very helpful, thanks.

As above, I don't think it's just the use of Spanish terms, the DR legal system is based on the Napoleanic code, as with France, Spain and their colonies
Napoleonic Code - Wikipedia
and is different than the Common law, that came from England.

One difference I've noticed in terms of serious crimes, is that the judge and/or the state prosecutor seems to take over from the police as the chief investigator of the case, from quite early on. IMO this might be because, (and maybe also why), police aren't particularly well-trained or well-paid in those countries.

Police collect preliminary evidence (and try to force confessions), but it's really the magistrate assigned to the initial hearing that takes on the role of lead investigator, collecting and documenting all the witness statements, requesting more investigation from police on particular subjects, etc. Someone can sit in jail a long time, until the judge or prosecutor gets around to this.

 

[Satchie]

When a complaint is filed, the DA’s Office opens an investigation, and determines the validity of the complaint.
Guzmán Ariza | The Dominican Republic law firm

I followed a case once of a missing American woman in a remote area of Panama, her friends suspected she'd been murdered by another American. They reported her missing to the local police (not revealing much about their suspicions), the police did nothing, not even question anyone.

There was a very knowledgeable guy (also American) in the capital whom they contacted for help: he insisted the woman's mother and sister fly to Panama City and file with the prosecutor's office a denunciado, literally a denunciation, a complaint claiming the American man had murdered their loved one and giving all the evidence they'd collected that lead them to believe that. This triggered a high level investigation, major resources to search his property, etc, and they found her body and captured him.

The impression I'm getting from the DR Expat forum is that Lindsay's close friends and family have followed this procedure. IMO, they have not left it to police to do the investigation, like we do. They have been open in their suspicions, and insistent on the direction the investigation should proceed towards. They appear to have hired a lawyer to help them compile the evidence, pointing towards the husband and sons.

This is so foreign to people from other countries, who expect police to play that role, and family are supposed to back off and not try to influence police. I think it's because, in places like the DR, people fundamentally distrust police, whereas family and friends are much closer to each other, there's much less privacy, they can't keep secrets, so especially mothers and sisters and close friends are assumed to be the ones who know what's really going on.

 

[Tortoise]

The two facebook pages of Lindsay's husband Danilo

Danilo Feliz

Danilo Feliz

Lindsay made this facebook post a few years ago, photoshopping her face into the photo. Seeing all the hundreds if not thousands of pouting women in Danilo's friends list, I think we get a glimpse of Lindsay's sense of humour.

Lindsay De Feliz

 

[Tortoise]

Three months in custody of four men implicated in the death of a British woman

The detainees are Danilo Félix, Aquilino Rosario Sánchez, Dani Alberto Feliz and José Alberto Feliz who must comply with the measure in the Santiago Rodríguez public prison.

Tres meses de prisión preventiva a cuatro hombres implicados en muerte de mujer británica

There is a video in the article where they all leave the courthouse and Danilo speaks to the camera, in Spanish. My read on his body language is that he is confident and putting on an air of casual calmness.

 

[Satchie]

There is some raw video news footage collected a few days ago at the site of Lindsay's home and grave on youtube.

Everyone speaks Spanish. There are interviews with two female officials who give information about the identification of the victim. It also interviews a man (in yellow helmet) involved in the search, he says dogs tracked her scent to within 10 metres of her body, then the burial site was found by human search. There's an interview with a man being led away, not sure who that is yet.

WARNING, there is footage of the grave site and the body between 0:30 secs and 0:50 secs.

 

[Tortoise]

There is some raw video news footage collected a few days ago at the site of Lindsay's home and grave on youtube.

Everyone speaks Spanish. There are interviews with two female officials who give information about the identification of the victim. It also interviews a man (in yellow helmet) involved in the search, he says dogs tracked her scent to within 10 metres of her body, then the burial site was found by human search. There's an interview with a man being led away, not sure who that is yet.

WARNING, there is footage of the grave site and the body between 0:30 secs and 0:50 secs.

I watched it with auto translate switched on and it might be a mis-translation but I think they say that they found two graves, and that the ground was too hard for them to dig so they dug another one.

 

[Westfield]

It's the same article I quoted a few posts above your post (post #12).

I'm wondering now - how the newspaper would have got hold of information that it was a report filed against her husband and that she later recanted it. That seems like too much detail to get wrong, and I'm now reading that blog post, and her comments beneath it, with different eyes. The blog post seems to be too light hearted imo. Lindsay's replies to some of the comments (the comments are worth looking up to put them into context with the replies) seem a little bit defensive and knowledgable. Knowledgable in the way in which she has answers to everything. Plus it is missing the explanation of how the perp who got away was caught.

This is her blog entry - quoting in case the blog gets taken down, and some parts bolded by me -
What about your saucepans?: Violence in the Dominican Republic - The Incident
Friday, February 22, 2019
Violence in the Dominican Republic - The Incident

I promised to tell you about what I call The Incident, which may also explain why I haven’t blogged much recently.

It was Tuesday, February 5 and Danilo and a Canadian lady staying with us were in his rustic gym in the back garden. She wanted to get fit and so after they had done their exercises in the gym, they would go for a 15- or 20-minute run. I heard them in the gym, but I was busy collecting articles to do the news for DR1 – the expat Dominican Republic forum.

It was exactly 9.30 am when I was interrupted by a lady messaging who wanted information about the Police Good Conduct report in the DR, and I was about to reply to her when a man slid open the patio door to the garden and walked towards me. I had never seen him before but in his right hand he had a gun, pointing at me. He stopped about 6 feet in front of my desk.

I didn’t have time to ask him anything before he started screaming “Don’t look at me” which he did several times. I asked him calmly what he wanted, and told him to calm down. I would have used the English saying “Don’t get your knickers in a twist,” but am not sure how that translates to Spanish.

He said he wanted money, and I replied that I had some but not a lot, and asked him not to hurt the dogs. I had one each side of me, just looking at him. I told the dogs to stay and shut up and stood up – he made me put my hands in the air – and went to the dining table next to my desk where my handbag was.

I reached in for my purse, which made him start waving the gun about, and was about to get the money out of my purse when he stopped me, so I put it down on the table. He then screamed at me to lie on the floor. I kept telling him I did not understand as I wanted to know if he spoke English and also, I had no idea why he would want me to lie down.

He pointed to the corner of the room behind the dining table and I sat down. He told me to turn around and lie face down, and put the gun to the back of my head. I asked him not to kill me. But there was no reply and he did not speak again. I took my glasses off and lay them next to me on the floor before lying down.

He then twisted both arms behind my back and sat on my back – there was no way I could move my arms or my body. I assumed he was going to tie me up. I should be so lucky. Then he put some sort of cloth or towel in my mouth and covered my nose with it as well and held it tightly in place with his hand which by now had a surgical glove on it. I could not breathe in nor out. A most peculiar and uncomfortable feeling. I tried to fight to move my head and my arms as I was desperate to breathe but each time I did, he smashed my face into the tiled floor. I tried playing dead (as I have seen that work on the television) and again he grabbed me by the hair on the back of my head and hit my face against the floor.

I had hoped there would be chloroform on the pad – but there was nothing, and I just wanted it over with. And then after around a minute, it was. Blissful nothing.

Meanwhile, Danilo and the guest returned from their run and he heard someone running through the woods. Danilo quickly approached the house on high alert and immediately saw I was not at my desk. He scanned the room and saw me lying on the floor in the corner, face down. He turned me over and my eyes were open but unseeing. He and the guest quickly put me in the car, unconscious and set off at speed for the hospital. Soon I began thrashing around, then talking nonsense and then the guest noticed a large baseball sized lump appearing on my temple. It grew and then opened showering her and me in blood and continued to bleed profusely. I was then able to say I had been attacked – until then they thought I had just fallen over – and I thought I might have been shot in the head.

At the hospital following x-rays and a cat scan it was confirmed I had not been shot nor did I even have a fractured skull. The lump on my head was drained, cleaned and stitched. My mouth was cut everywhere inside – no idea how and I was covered in bruises. I was admitted for twenty-four hours and the next day was home. The bruises have mostly gone now, but I have been left with neurological damage on my left side so I need more hospital visits and tests to see what is causing it and if it can be cured in any way. I am hoping just time will heal it.

You will be wondering how I felt during all this. Well I felt no pain at any time, but being suffocated is not pleasant at all. I have no idea how long it would take to kill someone but I don’t think I could have managed much longer. It appears he heard them coming back from the run before the deed was done, so smacked me hard on my temple with the gun, hoping that would do the trick. Takes more than that to get rid of me! I was pretty sure I was going to die and the only thoughts I had were that I hoped Danilo and guest would not return or he might kill them and I did not want him to hurt the dogs – which he didn’t. My overriding emotion, once I had worked out fighting him was not working, was total acceptance of what was to come – I just wanted the discomfort of being suffocated to be over quickly. So, I was much calmer than I would have thought I would be in that situation.

And the perp? It took me a few days to work it out. He looked Dominican but he didn’t. He dressed like a Dominican but he didn’t. He spoke like a Dominican but he didn’t. And I have never heard of Dominicans suffocating people. This guy had done it before – I felt like he was a professional. It turns out he was Venezuelan – there are tens of thousands in the Dominican Republic now, having fled from their country, and yes, he had killed by suffocation a few times before in Venezuela. It was a total random attack as he was scouting out houses which back onto the woods to rob. He thought the house was empty as he saw Danilo and the guest leaving on their run, hence he was surprised to see me, and as he did not want to be identified he had to dispose of me.

Several different police forces came from all of the surrounding areas. They were very pleasant but they took no forensic evidence at all, not my clothes, nor fingerprints, nor did they search the area. The local prosecutor was very professional as was the medical examiner who had to assess my injuries.

So, all’s well that ends well – and the current level of nerve damage is liveable with, assuming it gets no better or worse. I am very very thankful as the ending could have been very different. And it's another chapter for book 3!!

Comments:
LindsayFebruary 23, 2019 at 9:17 AM

It wasn't targeted and many campo homes here have only 2 people. If there are more, the family live in different homes nearby or on the same plot. I had seen his face hence had to be disposed of. Venezuelans are all over the country and there are so many now they are in every town city and village. The gun was a home made gun, they only hold one bullet - I wondered why he didnt shoot me - I think the gun was probably empty. And no one targets us as we have large dogs which Dominicans are terrified of.


LindsayFebruary 23, 2019 at 9:17 AM
Not if he didnt want to leave fingerprints.

[Question] Oh my goodness! I’m glad you’re okay! Did they put that guy in jail?

LindsayFebruary 22, 2019 at 8:16 PM
Thanks. I don't know but I only know he was arrested.

[reply] Ah....If the arrested him and set a date at the fiscalia and you didn't go, he would be released. Just the way is works around here.

I thought it strange when I read her blog post. She was too categorical and dismissive of suggestions that it looked like a targeted attack. She seemed too sure - knowledgeable, as you say. She also didn’t seem that interested in knowing more about the man that did it and about further investigation. Maybe it was a mix of wishful thinking and of not wanting to remember a traumatic experience.
It does look like a strange coincidence, this attack and the subsequent murder, within the same year.

 

[Tortoise]

Long article here. I'm just quoting a few parts -


Few could deny that Lindsay supported Danilo financially throughout their relationship. She bankrolled his failed attempt to become mayor, for example, to the tune of many thousands of pounds, often with donations from friends and relatives at home in the UK.

[..]

According to Nathaniel Sotero Peralta, the lawyer appointed by the court to look after Lindsay's 'interests', standard practice in these circumstances, the author owned a piece of land worth $500,000 (£375,000), incorporating a small supermarket and adjoining property, in the southern coastal resort of Juan Dolio, which she was in the process of selling.

There was a buyer, he said, with the sale due to be finalised on January 12. But Mr Peralta told us: 'Lindsay wanted to take the money from the sale out of the country. I believe there was tension over that with Danilo.'

There was something else he brought to the attention of the authorities as well. 'She [Lindsay] was worried that something might happen to her,' he said.

Friends, he claimed, had sent him texts from Lindsay in which she says that, after drinking from a bottle of rum at home recently, she had to be treated in a clinic.

Laboratory tests, the texts alleged, showed the drink had been contaminated.

'I don't have the paperwork yet,' Mr Peralta stressed, 'so I don't know what was in the rum.'

Author found dead in the Caribbean was 'worried something might happen to her' | Daily Mail Online

 

[Satchie]

Long article here. I'm just quoting a few parts -


Few could deny that Lindsay supported Danilo financially throughout their relationship. She bankrolled his failed attempt to become mayor, for example, to the tune of many thousands of pounds, often with donations from friends and relatives at home in the UK.

[..]

According to Nathaniel Sotero Peralta, the lawyer appointed by the court to look after Lindsay's 'interests', standard practice in these circumstances, the author owned a piece of land worth $500,000 (£375,000), incorporating a small supermarket and adjoining property, in the southern coastal resort of Juan Dolio, which she was in the process of selling.

There was a buyer, he said, with the sale due to be finalised on January 12. But Mr Peralta told us: 'Lindsay wanted to take the money from the sale out of the country. I believe there was tension over that with Danilo.'

There was something else he brought to the attention of the authorities as well. 'She [Linddsay] was worried that something might happen to her,' he said.

Friends, he claimed, had sent him texts from Lindsay in which she says that, after drinking from a bottle of rum at home recently, she had to be treated in a clinic.

Laboratory tests, the texts alleged, showed the drink had been contaminated.

'I don't have the paperwork yet,' Mr Peralta stressed, 'so I don't know what was in the rum.'

Author found dead in the Caribbean was 'worried something might happen to her' | Daily Mail Online

It's so frustrating to read this.

I think if a Latin American woman had faced this situation, she could have left and gone to live with her mother and solo female siblings. I've seen for myself and heard even more of those kinds of matriarchal households, they also raise children from failed relationships in the family. IMO this is how women stay safe in such macho cultures.

But Lindsay couldn't do this. In spite of all her friends, she was alone and therefore vulnerable. She couldn't leave him/kick him out without him taking revenge, and she couldn't run back to the UK, she insisted that wasn't possible any more. I think maybe there wasn't any 'exit' sign for her.

IMO, her husband and stepsons perceived her as weak and defenceless, however they underestimated her committed friends and confidents who rallied when she disappeared and are ensuring that justice is done. IMO these guys made a big mistake in assuming they could carry this off.

But, that's all too late. It's just so sad she couldn't save herself, she was otherwise so brave and smart.

 

[hopimarie]

has there been any news

 

[Satchie]

has there been any news

I think that now her alleged killer are officially in custody, there may not be any news until their 3 months is up.

 

[FrostOwl]

There doesn't seem to be any more news after this in December 2019:
Four charged in British writer’s murder off to jail to await trial

 

[margarita25]

There doesn't seem to be any more news after this in December 2019:
Four charged in British writer’s murder off to jail to await trial

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