Cerro Maravilla Murders - Aftermath

Aftermath

The second investigations led to ten officers being indicted and found guilty of perjury, destruction of evidence, and obstruction of justice, of which four were convicted of second-degree murder during 1984. The convicted officers, which were not on active duty at the time due to various reasons, were:

• Col. Ángel Pérez Casillas (head of the Puerto Rico Police Department Intelligence Division during the incident; suspended)
• Lieut. Nelson González Pérez (resigned),
• Lieut. Jaime Quíles Hernández (suspended),
• Officer Juan Bruno González (suspended),
• Officer William Colón Berríos (suspended),
• Officer Nazario Mateo Espada (suspended),
• Officer Rafael Moreno Morales (suspended),
• Officer Luis Reverón Martínez (on disability leave),
• Officer Jose Ríos Polanco (suspended), and
• Officer Rafael Torres Marrero (on disability leave).

That same year, in the general elections held in November, Romero Barceló lost his gubernatorial seat against former governor and opposing party rival Rafael Hernández Colón (PPD). It is widely accepted that Romero Barceló lost the elections because of this case, since his public opinion rating had deteriorated substantially during late 1984 as the investigations progressed, and since his political rivals used his defense of the officers as an indication of a possible conspiracy.