10th suspect in David Ortiz shooting to be held for 1 year in prison
Authorities in the Dominican Republic say they are closing in on the mastermind and motive behind the shooting of Red Sox baseball great David Ortiz as he recovers in a hospital in Boston. A judge on Monday ordered a man nicknamed "Bone" to one year in preventive prison during a hearing closed to the public.
The hearing was closed to the public and officials didn't release details, but according to documents obtained by The Associated Press, the man — whose real name is Gabriel Alexánder Pérez Vizcaíno — is accused of being the liaison between the alleged hit men and the person who paid them.
The documents also state that Pérez sold a gold-colored iPhone 6 allegedly used to plan the attack to a woman for $180 a day after the June 9 shooting. Authorities claimed the phone was giving him problems and that's why he sold it.
An attorney for Pérez did not comment upon leaving the courtroom after the hearing as police whisked away the suspect, who was wearing a red T-shirt, a flak jacket and a helmet. He did not speak to reporters.
Nine suspects are already being held for up to a year, and authorities are still looking for at least two others mentioned in the court documents, including the man accused of paying the alleged hit men.
Prosecutors say they have determined a motive for the alleged plot and plan to release that information this week, CBS Boston reports. Police previously said the shooting was a planned hit that paid just under $8,000.
Oritz led the Red Sox to three World Series championships, was a 10-time All-Star and hit 541 home runs.
Ortiz lives in Boston but visits the Dominican Republic several times a year.
Doctors removed his gallbladder and part of his intestines before he was flown to Boston, where he remains in intensive care at Massachusetts General Hospital.