On a violent early morning in the eastern Dominican Republic’s capital metro area, a prominent merengue performer has survived a deadly home invasion that claimed the life of his spouse, with law enforcement announcing this week that three people are now in custody connected to the attack.
The victimized artist, Gilberto Julián Sarante Perdomo — known professionally by his stage name Julián Oro Duro — was assaulted alongside his 60-year-old wife Zeneida Socorro Castillo at their private residence in Santo Domingo Este’s Brisa Oriental VI neighborhood. The attack unfolded shortly after 1 a.m. local time on Monday, September 21, with a 911 emergency call placed at 1:05 a.m. alerting first responders to the incident. Police and emergency medical teams were dispatched to the scene immediately after the alert.
Authorities confirmed that Castillo suffered fatal injuries in the assault and was pronounced dead, while Julián Oro Duro sustained severe blunt trauma and was rushed to a local medical facility for urgent treatment.
As of Wednesday, the National Police confirmed that three people have been taken into custody as part of the active investigation. The only publicly identified suspect is Kevin Daniel Germán Troncoso, who goes by the alias “Yandel.” Law enforcement had issued an active arrest warrant for Germán Troncoso after naming him as a suspected participant in the attack, and he turned himself in at approximately 3 a.m. Wednesday at the Los Mina police station in Santo Domingo Este. Two additional people were already in custody when he surrendered, bringing the total number of detainees to three.
National Police spokesperson Colonel Diego Pesqueira explained that the identities of the two other detainees are being withheld at this stage of the investigation. The case is being carried out in close coordination with the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and investigators have not yet publicly confirmed all details of how the two attackers gained entry to the residence, nor the full chronological sequence of the attack.
Investigative teams are currently working to map out the specific alleged role of each detainee, clarify the motive behind the assault, and formalize legal responsibilities for any parties found responsible. All allegations against the three detained individuals remain unproven in court, and the investigation is still ongoing.