South Florida man charged with first-degree murder after missing court for El Taiger's killing
MIAMI — The man accused of killing Cuban reggaeton artist Jose Manuel Carbajal Zaldivar, known professionally as El Taiger, did not show up to court this Thursday and is now facing an upgraded murder charge.
Damian Valdez-Galloso, 49, is now facing first-degree murder after he failed to appear at his arraignment and indictment hearing on Thursday morning. He was previously charged with second-degree murder while pending a grand jury. Back in November, his attorney entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf.
According to the judge, there will be another hearing set for Valdez-Galloso in two weeks to determine if the state will ask for the death penalty.
The murder of El Taiger
The case of El Taiger's murder has drawn widespread attention, as he was a prominent figure in the reggaeton music scene, leaving fans and loved ones mourning the loss of the artist.
On Oct. 3, 2024, El Taiger was found in the back of an SUV with a gunshot wound to his head in the Allapattah neighborhood of Miami, near Jackson Memorial Hospital. However, police said he was shot at a home on SE 5th St. in Hialeah, where Valdez-Galloso was renting.
According to state officials, Valdez-Galloso shot El Taiger in Hialeah and then left him inside the SUV found near JMH. Despite life-saving efforts, the reggaeton artist died from his injuries.
CBS News Miami obtained surveillance video of the shooting, which showed El Taiger arriving at the Hialeah home and standing in front of the door. At that moment, a verbal exchange occurred before he was shot in the head and collapsed moments later.
The video then showed Valdez-Galloso leaving the home and dragging the reggaeton artist's lifeless body by the ankles. Hours later, El Taiger was found in the SUV.
Valdez-Galloso wasn't found until Oct. 29, 2024, after a multi-agency effort led to his arrest in New York City, where he had been charged with failure to register as a sex offender and as a fugitive from justice. He was then extradited to Miami on the previous second-degree murder charge.