The Hialeah man charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Cuban reggaeton star El Taiger made his first appearance before a Miami-Dade judge Thursday.
Damian Valdez-Galloso, 49, is charged with second-degree murder, attempted tampering with physical evidence and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in last month's fatal shooting of El Taiger.
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He's also charged with failure to register as a sex offender in a separate case.
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During the appearance, Judge Mindy Glazer ordered him held without bond and appointed him a public defender.
She also questioned the prosecutor about the murder charge.
"Is that the correct charge? It looks like he shot him in the head and then dragged his body and put him in a vehicle and the victim subsequently died," Glazer said. "Isn't there intent to kill? Wouldn't that be an a first-degree murder charge?"
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"So judge, I don't know if we have enough evidence yet to prove premeditation, which is necessary for a first," the prosecutor replied. "If we charge a first we need an indictment, which we don't have yet."
Valdez-Galloso 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 extradited and booked into a Miami-Dade jail on Wednesday.
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.
According to an arrest affidavit, the singer went to Valdez-Galloso's home 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 toward the singer's SUV, and placed him inside, the affidavit said. Valdez-Galloso then allegedly cleaned up the scene, changed his clothes, and then left in the singer's vehicle.
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.
