PONCE — 1978 · Murder
The Cerro Maravilla Murders
On 25 July 1978 two young supporters of Puerto Rican independence, Carlos Soto Arriví and Arnaldo Darío Rosado, were killed in a police ambush at the communication towers on Cerro Maravilla. Police initially said the pair died in a shoot-out during a sabotage attempt; it later emerged that a police informant had led them there. Televised Puerto Rico Senate hearings starting in 1983 revealed that the young men had been killed after surrendering and that the case had been covered up. The FBI reopened the case; in 1985 ten officers were convicted of perjury in federal court, and in 1987 several were convicted of murder in local court.
- Date
- 1978
- Place
- Puerto Rico, Ponce, PR
- Category
- Murder
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 18.1600, -66.5600 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 25 July 1978Two young men were killed in a police ambush on Cerro Maravilla.
- 1978-1980Early inquiries backed the police account.
- 1983Senate hearings and a renewed FBI probe exposed the cover-up.
- 1985Ten officers were convicted of perjury in federal court.
- June 1987Five former officers were sentenced for murder and perjury.
Sources
- The Washington Post — 5 ex-policemen sentenced in murders in Puerto Rico washingtonpost.com ↗
- UPI Archives — Scandal that transformed Puerto Rico endures 10 years after killings upi.com ↗
- Wikipedia — Cerro Maravilla murders en.wikipedia.org ↗
- The Washington Post
- UPI
- Wikipedia
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.