Spanish
Santo Domingo. - Consternation and pain engulf the neighbors and relatives of Pennsylvania Mercedes Jiménez Valdez, 36 years old, who on Sunday night allegedly poisoned her three children, aged 11, 9 and 7, and then ingested the same substance in an incident that occurred in the Ensanche Isabelita sector, Santo Domingo Este.
According to the testimonies, the woman maintained a conflictive relationship with her partner, marked by jealousy. Omar Cabrera, the victim's brother-in-law, reported that this situation was recurrent.
"He was jealous of her with her sister, with her nephews, if he was a man he was looking for women. I didn't come here for that, because I saw her attitude and didn't want problems. She even hit him, she was too jealous, and a jealous woman you know what she's capable of doing," Cabrera expressed.
The witness stated that before the event there was an argument motivated by jealousy and that the woman had even gone armed with a knife to her partner's workplace.
“He is alive because he didn't drink the juice, because she poisoned him and he didn't go near her. She wasn't very honest; he never told me because he was afraid,” he added.
Some neighbors claimed they never intervened in the situation for fear of retaliation.
"There are many things that stay behind the wall that are in front," commented one of them.
Regarding the supposed letter that was mentioned in unofficial versions, family members and community members expressed doubts.
"I don't believe in that letter thing, the neighborhood knows what happened. She herself went looking for him that day," said a close associate.
Neighbors also described the woman as confrontational and possessive. A resident identified as Lesli Sare narrated that she came to feel harassed by her.
"Especially with me, she pursued me, said many nasty things to me, threatened me. She also had problems with other neighbors. I once asked her what I had done to her and she couldn't answer me," he said.
The tragedy has generated shock in the community, where an atmosphere of mourning and disbelief was maintained this Monday.
