A federal court in Puerto Rico sentenced two men to 35 and 25 years in prison, respectively, after they pleaded guilty to the murder of two transgender women, a crime that occurred in April 2020 in the municipality of Humacao.
United States District Court Judge Pedro A. Delgado-Hernández imposed a 35-year prison sentence on Sean Díaz-De León and 25 years on Juan Carlos Pagán-Bonilla, after finding them responsible for the deaths of L.P.S. and S.A.V.R.
According to court documents, both were arrested on May 4, 2020, and formally charged on the 13th of that same month. Subsequently, they pleaded guilty in 2025: Pagán-Bonilla in October and Díaz-De León on December 4.
The investigation established that Díaz-De León admitted to having shot and caused the death of both victims, in addition to acknowledging that, together with his co-defendant, he disposed of the bodies after committing the crime.
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On June 30, 2026, the court sentenced Díaz-De León to 35 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for carrying and using a firearm during the commission of a violent crime that resulted in the murder of the two transgender women.
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For his part, Pagán-Bonilla received a 25-year prison sentence for his involvement in the case, ending a judicial process that lasted for more than six years since the events occurred.
The case generated great attention in Puerto Rico and was considered one of the most shocking hate crimes recorded on the island, due to the fact that the victims belonged to the transgender community.
