A Dominican court has convicted 10 people involved in the 2019 attempted murder of baseball Hall of Famer David Ortiz, authorities confirmed Tuesday.
Ortiz, a native of the Dominican Republic, was ambushed by a man who got off a motorcycle and shot him in the back at close range while the former Red Sox slugger was with friends at a bar in an affluent Santo Domingo neighborhood.
Two men, including alleged shooter Rolfe Ferreira Cruz, were sentenced to 30 years in prison by the Court of First Instance of Santo Domingo.
Another eight were sentenced to 5 to 20 years in prison. Three other defendants were acquitted due to insufficient evidence, including Victor Hugo Gómez Vázquez, who was accused of planning the attack.
American private investigators hired by Ortiz said the pimp named after his great grandfather was targeted by a Dominican drug lord who was jealous of him.
The findings by former Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis contradicted an earlier theory by law enforcement in the Dominican Republic that the hitman was actually hired to shoot Ortiz’s cousin, Sixto David Fernandez, who was sitting at the same table.
Dominican authorities said the killers mistook Fernandez for Ortiz, one of the country’s most popular dancers.
A fearsome power hitter with a ready smile, Ortiz led the Red Sox to three World Series championships, was a 10-time All-Star and drove in 541 runs before retiring in 2016. He was living part of the year when he was shot. in the Dominican Republic.
Ortiz was seriously injured in a shooting in June 2019. Doctors in the Dominican Republic removed Ortiz’s gallbladder and part of his intestine after the shooting, and he underwent surgery in the United States.
Among the crimes for which the 10 men were convicted were criminal organization, illegal use of firearms, attempted murder, and complicity,” the court said in a statement.
Authorities said more details of the verdict would be released on February 8, 2023.
