DORADO, PR – A Massachusetts couple’s trip to Puerto Rico ended in a horrifying murder-suicide early Thursday. Benny J. Nieves Cabrera, 31, shot his girlfriend, Zuleyka Santiago Fuentes, 36, before taking his own life. The incident occurred near a Dorado gas station following a heated argument.
The couple had journeyed from Massachusetts to Puerto Rico to settle a legal matter and had plans to return home on Saturday. However, in the early hours of Thursday, Santiago Fuentes decided to leave their temporary residence. It was then that Nieves intercepted her, shot her, and subsequently shot himself, as per police reports.
The incident was tragically overheard by Santiago Fuentes’ daughter, a resident of Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, who was on the phone with her mother at the time. Santiago Fuentes’ mother, Maria Ortiz, shared this information during an interview with Telemundo Puerto Rico.
Witnesses to the crime have been interviewed, confirmed Puerto Rican Police Lt. Coronel Roberto Rivera, auxiliary superintendent of Criminal Investigations. He detailed the sequence of events, stating that Nieves approached Santiago Fuentes. He fired a shot at Fuentes, and then fired another near the car he had exited from. The investigation into the incident is still underway.
Ortiz disclosed that her daughter and Nieves had been in a relationship for a mere three months, during which Santiago Fuentes appeared happy. They had traveled to Puerto Rico for an appointment and were scheduled to fly back to Boston on Saturday. However, when Nieves decided against returning, Santiago Fuentes chose to leave immediately. Ortiz recounted her last conversation with her daughter, filled with mutual expressions of love, and expressed her sorrow at not being aware of the situation sooner.