Her killing ignited a women’s rights movement in Puerto Rico

After we hung up, Elba despatched me time stamped voice messages in Spanish that her daughter despatched her three days earlier than she was killed. In a single message, Angie says that she’s leaving Diaz, however he will not cease crying. She tells her mother that she’s going to name the police to get him out of her home if she has to, even when her daughters hate her for it. Within the message, Angie explains that Diaz retains swearing that they’ll begin over. 

“We have been beginning over for a lifetime,” Angie says to her mother on the finish of the voice message. “I simply need to be comfortable.” 

Elba says little has modified on the island the place machismo, or poisonous masculinity, reigns. Based on the Organization of American states, throughout Latin America and the Caribbean (which incorporates Puerto Rico) femicide is the “most critical manifestation of discrimination and violence in opposition to girls.” In 2021, there have been 53 femicides in accordance with the Nationwide Observatory of Gender Equality in Puerto Rico (Observatorio Nacional de Equidad de Genero). In 2020 there were 60. To date this yr there have been two reported femicides in Puerto Rico. 

This dialog has been edited for size and readability. 

Angie was the diamond that simply walked in a room and shined. Though she had so many issues she didn’t display that to anyone. She was the happiest individual ever. 

She cherished her job. She cherished her viejitos [elderly people]. Her precedence although was first her daughters after which the whole lot else. 

I cherished what they did. I cherished once they went to the road. I wished to be there with them, too. 

Issues won’t ever change. Simply after Angie’s loss of life, I informed the cops “It is him.” They did not have him as a suspect as a result of he was compliant. Second, when she was lacking, earlier than they discovered her physique, the cop in control of the investigation informed me that “she’s younger, she has three children, she in all probability simply wished to breathe.” How dare he say she deserted her three daughters? 

We’re speaking about a spot the place there’s a lot machismo.   

We have been informed that should you take this to trial, since he doesn’t have any prior legal data, the may cost him with second diploma [murder], that he did it as a ardour crime and that would cut back his years. They informed me he regrets what he did. He acquired 50 years however he’ll in all probability do 12 years for killing my daughter. He threw her over a cliff like she was trash and the DA tells me he is regretful?

This [gender-based violence] isn’t going to vary as a result of this machismo is simply too prevalent in Puerto Rico. What number of males stated, “I’d have executed the identical factor.” A lot of cops stated that.

She [Angie] all the time wrote stuff on Fb. Generally it wasn’t even private. ‘Todo lo que mereces, todo lo que suenas, esta justo detras del miedo.’ ‘All the pieces you deserve and dream of is correct there behind the worry.’ I believed she’d learn it someplace however she was like ‘No, Mother, that is me. I do not do what I need to do and I am caught due to worry.’

She by no means thought he would homicide her. She all the time thought that he would homicide the women, as a result of he would say ‘you are too simple. I might slightly kill the three ladies, kill myself and allow you to endure all of your life.’

That phrase that she wrote, lots of people girls have been like that is true what she’s saying. This machismo has to complete.