The 37-year-old El Taiger, whose real name was Jose Manuel Carbajal Zaldivar, died days after the Oct. 3 shooting
A Hialeah man who was detained in connection with the fatal shooting of Cuban reggaeton star El Taiger has been booked in Miami-Dade County jail and now faces several charges, including second-degree murder.
Damian Valdez-Galloso, 49, was taken into custody in New York City last week by Miami Police working with the NYPD and the U.S. Marshals Service.
He was held on an out-of-state extradition warrant for violations connected to failure to register as a sex offender. According to online jail records on Wednesday, he now faces charges of second-degree murder with a weapon, attempting to tamper with physical evidence, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Police had announced earlier this month that Valdez-Galloso was being sought for questioning in the shooting of the singer.
"Thankful to God they were able to locate him," El Taiger's manager and friend, Teresa Padron, said. "We can put this to rest once and for all and hopefully police can release the video so we can understand what happened that night."
The 37-year-old El Taiger, whose real name was Jose Manuel Carbajal Zaldivar, had been found unresponsive and suffering from a gunshot wound in the back of an SUV near Northwest 9th Avenue and 17th Street back on Oct. 3.
He was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in extremely critical condition and died from his injuries days later, on Oct. 10.
Morales said it's believed the singer was fatally shot by Valdez-Galloso at Valdez-Galloso's home in Hialeah, and Hialeah Police are involved in the investigation.
"I know that there's a lot of speculations out there that El Taiger could have been tortured before, I mean this is a horrific crime and his life was taken in an unlawful manner, but there's no evidence to indicate that he was tortured in any way before he was killed," Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales said.
No other suspects are being sought in the shooting, Morales said.
Records show Valdez-Galloso has a criminal past and is a registered sex offender after having sex with a minor. He also served prison time for false imprisonment and was arrested three years ago for grand theft in Broward.