No bail for Hialeah man charged with murder of Cuban singer El Taiger – NBC 6 South Florida

The Hialeah man charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Cuban reggaeton star El Taiger appeared before a Miami-Dade judge for the first time Thursday.

Damian Valdez-Galloso, 49, is charged with second-degree murder, attempted tampering with evidence and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in last month's fatal shooting in El Taiger.

In another case, he is also accused of failing to register as a sex offender.

During the appearance, Judge Mindy Glazer ordered him held without bail and appointed him a public defender.

She also questioned the prosecutor about the murder charge.

“Is this the right charge? It appears he shot him in the head and then dragged his body and put him in a vehicle and the victim subsequently died,” Glazer said. “Is there no intention to kill? Wouldn’t that be a charge of first degree murder?”

“Well judge, I don't know if we have enough evidence yet to prove intent, which is necessary for the first time,” the prosecutor replied. “If we file charges first, we need an indictment that we don’t have yet.”

Valdez-Galloso was arrested last week in New York City by Miami police in collaboration with the NYPD and the US Marshals Service. He was extradited Wednesday and taken to a Miami-Dade prison.

A Hialeah man was formally charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Cuban reggaeton star El Taiger and booked into the Miami-Dade Jail on Wednesday, police said. NBC6's Julia Bagg reports.

El Taiger, 37, whose real name was Jose Manuel Carbajal Zaldivar, was found unresponsive from a gunshot wound in the back seat of an SUV near Northwest 9th Avenue and 17th Street on Oct. 3.

He was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in extremely critical condition and died of his injuries days later on October 10.

According to an affidavit, the singer went to Valdez-Galloso's house early that morning. Valdez-Galloso opened the door and shot El Taiger in the head, police said.

Valdez-Galloso then grabbed El Taiger by his ankles, dragged him to the singer's SUV and put him inside, the affidavit states. Valdez-Galloso then allegedly cleaned up the crime scene, changed his clothes and then drove away in the singer's vehicle.

Records show Valdez-Galloso has a criminal history and is a registered sex offender after having sex with a minor. He also served a prison sentence for false imprisonment and was arrested three years ago for grand larceny in Broward.

Cuban reggaeton star El Taiger has died, days after he was found shot to death in Miami. The death of the singer, whose real name was Jose Manuel Carbajal Zaldivar, was announced on his Instagram page on Thursday.