Cuban-American businessman Manuel Marín, former owner of the Presidente Supermarket chain in Florida, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter this Thursday, March 30.
According to the medium Local 10 Newsthe jury was deliberating on the case for more than five hours, and although he was found not guilty of the charge of second degree murder, he was found guilty of the charges of manslaughter, criminal conspiracy to commit kidnapping and kidnapping.
For now, Marín remains confined in the Metrowest Detention Center awaiting his sentence, however, his lawyer, José M. Quiñón, assured that he will file an appeal.
Case of Manuel Marin
The Cuban-American was tried for a crime he allegedly committed in 2011, when Camilo Salazar, his ex-wife’s lover, was kidnapped, tortured and murdered.
Authorities said Marín fled the United States shortly after Salazar’s body was discovered, but was eventually arrested in Spain in 2018 when he tried to enter the US Embassy in Madrid to process his passport.
Following his arrest, Marín was extradited, and his ex-wife, Jenny Marín, turned herself in to the authorities in Spain, also to face the murder charges against her.
During the recent trial, which took place over several weeksJenny Marín argued that Salazar was murdered shortly after Marín discovered that they were having an affair.
Similarly, retired Miami-Dade detective William Hladky testified that Marin’s phone was found near the crime scene in 2011 when Salazar was kidnapped and murdered.
Salazar’s family was seen crying and hugging while the experts described the wounds they were able to detect on the deceased’s body.
Police previously charged Roberto Isaac, Alexis Vila Perdomo and Ariel Gandulla with kidnapping Salazar in Coconut Grove, as well as torturing, killing and burning part of his body with gasoline on Okeechobee Road near the Everglades.
Despite the fact that the defense maintained that Marín was not present, Ariel Gandulla, former Cuban wrestler, testified against him, noting that she had seen him in his blue Mercedes-Benz during Salazar’s kidnapping. Similarly, Gandulla testified against the other two kidnappers in exchange for a reduced sentence.
