Dominican court orders trial for man accused in fatal stabbing attack

A Dominican court has ordered Jean André Pumarol to stand trial for a fatal stabbing attack on his neighbors. Pumarol, accused of fatally stabbing Yolanda Handal Abugabir, 70, and injuring her domestic worker María Teresa Fabián, will serve three months of pretrial detention. His defense team expressed strong disagreement with the court's decision, particularly concerning the designated facility for his detention.

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There are no conditions there. All the mentally ill converge there, without any kind of care, without distinguishing the type of illness. Obviously, we do not agree with the decision.

Richard Martínez, Pumarol's lawyer, warned that the mental health cell at the Anamuya Correction and Rehabilitation Center in Higüey does not guarantee his client's physical safety or provide adequate care for his condition. He stated that all inmates with mental health issues are housed together without distinction or specialized care. Pumarol has been in detention since July of last year, initially at the Anamuya facility until a judge favored him with a "no-place-to-proceed" order in March.

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It is necessary that he remain in prison and answer for his actions.

However, the Second Chamber of the National District Criminal Court overturned that order, sending Pumarol to a full trial. The court had previously accepted the argument that Pumarol was experiencing a psychotic episode at the time of the attack. The prosecution's case includes a "robust" medical history, and Pumarol's psychiatric condition has not been contested. The victim's daughter, Carolyn Taveras, and the injured domestic worker, María Teresa Fabián, both stated that a trial was necessary and that Pumarol poses a danger to society.

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A full trial was what the case warranted, and we have always trusted Dominican justice.