Murder in Sosua On Saturday Sept. 2, 2006 at aprox 11 am in the morning, my mother-in-law Saida (Sandra to her friends and family) Novas Rosario was shot and killed during a brazen daylight home invasion just around the corner from the German Bakery in Sosua.
I was sitting at my computer finishing up my 2nd cup of coffee, my wife was on the couch sending a text message with her Mom's cel phone and Sandra, was making my wife (who is 4 months pregnant) some hot chocolate in the kitchen. From the kitchen window, Sandra saw 2 men coming around the side of the house and called out to them who are you? When she saw that the first one was waving a pistol, she yelled "Ladrones! Tenne Pistolas! Corre Corre!" (please pardon my poor Spanish spelling)
The 2 thieves stormed into my house through the front door (which was open as Sandra was also in the process of washing down the front porch). One of them was brandishing a pistol and when we saw the evil intent in their eyes, the 3 of us ran into the bedroom and slammed the door shut. Without a word the 2 thieves chased after us and tried to break down the bedroom door to get at us.
With Sandra and I using our full strength to brace the door shut while my pregnant wife stood behind us they still managed to bang it open a bit, but we kept them out. All the while we were shouting "Ladrones! Policia, Aiduda, Ladrones!" After some serious pounding at the door, there was a moment of silence... I thought, "I am the man of the house, what am I doing hiding in the bedroom? I have to protect my family" I cautiously opened the bedroom door to see what was going on. With my face above and Sandra peeking from below me, there at the door was a face I will never forget, waving a revolver at my face. I slammed the door shut again and we both braced against it again.
Seconds later a shot rang out!
My wife ran to the bathroom in terror and I ran after her to see if she and my baby were OK. She was making a frantic call to some friends for help (our mistake was not having the local police number programmed in our phones (National Police - Sosua Office - 809-571-2338) but she was safe! I ran back to the door and at first thought that Sandra was ducking for cover by the dresser drawers, but soon realized that she had been shot. As I cried out in pain and anguish you could hear the crashing about in the living room as the thieves ransacked the place to take what they could as quick as the could.
I gave Sandra mouth to mouth respiration but quickly realized that this was deadly serious so I jumped in the jeep and took off to the local clinic to get a doctor to the house quick. When we got back, Sandra still had a weak pulse so with the help of a local gentleman (who ended up being of tremendous help throughout the whole ordeal) we carefully loaded her into my jeep and he drove Sandra, my wife and the 2 medics to the hospital (on route they realized that Puerto Plata was too far so they went to the clinic in Sosua Abaho instead.)
As they were leaving another local offered to drive me to the police station and just down the road we met up with them as they were already on the way to my house. The 4 of us then drove around the neighborhood looking for the murderous thieves, but to no avail. On the way back to the house, one of the officers got the call... Sandra had passed away.
Imagine my anguish and concern for my wife who had in the course of one year had a brother, her grandfather (who raised her like a father) and now her mother all dead by violence. (the men were killed on separate occasions last year in Santo Domingo by street thugs who to this day remain free because one of the members father is a high official in the government)
Within minutes my house became a zoo. Our friends quickly showed up by the dozens to offer sympathy and support. (Thank you all, we could not have pulled through with out you) and what seemed like every police officer from miles around arrived on the scene. We had local police, National Police, Military, Forensic Specialists, you name it, they were here.
The forensic team told me they pulled 12 good sets of prints from the door, my external hard drive (thankfully they did not take that as all my business files were on it) and a few other locations, and just today another police team arrived with an old photo which we both ID'd as the killer, so hopefully he will be caught soon.
Apart from the murder of my Mother in Law, the thieves made off with my Toshiba Satellite Laptop (has a strip of black duct tape on the left side covering the empty space where the PCI slots should be), a Olympus C-50 digital camera, my Sagem Cel Phone, my Leatherman Multitool, my Wife's wallet with all her ID etc, and the digital cable box for the TV.
Any info should be reported to the Sosua Police at the number above. If you hear of the whereabouts of my laptop, I am willing to offer a reward for its return.
It should be noted that the Police are doing a great job and many different departments are now actively involved in the case. They also said I should have had a gun in the home but as my residency has not yet come through (I kept putting it off) I can not legally own a gun here. Yet...
While I thought of returning to Canada, I still love this country, faults and all. My wife and I are not likely to stay in Sosua as there are too many reminders of Sandra's life here, but we will remain in this tarnished paradise and with the help of family and friends, we hope to pull through and raise a happy family together.
Sandra was known and loved by most everybody in Sosua and surrounding areas, many knew her as their liquor supplier, but most knew her as a friend. I you owned a bar, restaurant, colmado or any other location that sold liquor, you likely knew Sandra. She was laid to rest in Santo Domingo on Sunday and she will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved her. I will never again here her loving and friendly "Hola Jim! Como esta?" when she came for her almost daily visits. Our child will live without a grandmother, my wife without a mom. Our lives will never be the same.
Araly and I would like to thank all of you who have been there for us throughout this ordeal and without whose help, love and friendship we would not have been able to pull through.
Sadly yours,
Jim Bullen - President
The Cigar Hut Group of Companies
__________________
Sincerely
Jim Bullen - President
The Cigar Hut Group of Companies
The Cigar Hut - Some of the Finest Cigars at Some of the Finest Prices
i read about this on the weekend
Originally Posted by jim bullen
Murder in Sosua On Saturday Sept. 2, 2006 at aprox 11 am in the morning, my mother-in-law Saida (Sandra to her friends and family) Novas Rosario was shot and killed during a brazen daylight home invasion just around the corner from the German Bakery in Sosua.
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