He went from owning his own small hotel to working construction on San Pedro and tonight 36-year-old Alvaro Galvez is dead – the victim of vicious murder on Tuesday morning. But his bullet-riddled body wasn’t discovered until this morning in his home on the island. Keith Swift has the story from San Pedro.
Keith Swift Reporting
Alvaro Galvez called this modest one bedroom apartment in the Boca Del Rio area of San Pedro Home - and it is in here that he was murdered. His boss Mike Madrid made the gruesome discovery this morning.
Mike Madrid, Deceased’s Employer
“He was lying face down on the floor in a pool of blood and you could see a gunshot to the side. He was in a pool of blood without shirt, just the short pants.”
His body was found this morning but police believe he was killed on Tuesday morning – that is when residents tell us they heard gunshots.
Mister Troy, Area Resident
“We were awaken approximately four o’clock with what sounded like gunshots but we were sound asleep but when you are sleeping, it could have been a firecracker maybe but it sure sounded like gunshots. I am a hunter and I thought it was gunshots and I heard five. I heard five distinct shots and because I am a hunter I always count the shots when I hear gunfire. And right after I heard the five I heard a large motor, a powerful motor maybe start up and a boat took off over the lagoon at a fast rate of speed. That’s the story. They weren’t shooting at me so I went back to sleep.”
Lucilo Antonio Guerrero also heard five gunshots. He is Alvaro’s landlord and a long time friend.
Lucilo Antonio Guerrero, Friend of the Deceased
“I heard three shots but I heard like quick shots and I jumped out
of my bed and my wife and my kids got up and I told my wife this happened in my yard. So I jumped and out my lights. I went back to check my boat because they had stolen my boat a couple years ago. I went to check my boat and I wanted to go out but I just came from surgery so my wife didn’t let me out. As soon as I heard those three or four shots, I heard a boat take off from the dock.”
Keith Swift,
When you heard the shots did you think that it might be your tenant?
Lucilo Antonio Guerrero,
“No I thought they were stealing my boat. It sounded very close and I told my wife this happened right in here but I didn’t have a gun and so I only peeped through the window.”
It was a murder in his back yard and Galvez’s dead body was left inside the one bedroom apartment for an entire day – until this morning at 7:30.
Lucilo Antonio Guerrero,
“They told me from yesterday he didn’t show up so I rushed back there and I called a friend to go knock on his door. He went and told me he peeped through the window and he saw him lying down on the floor.”
Police say Alvaro Galvez had been shot numerous times – the officer in charge of San Pedro Police - Assistant Superintendent Dennis Arnold says they recovered 15 nine millimeter expended shells.
ASP Dennis Arnold, San Pedro Police
“He was shot all over his body, multiple gunshot wounds. We cannot
verify how many due to the blood and the decomposition state the body was in.”
And the body was decomposing because it disturbingly laid in that apartment for more than 24 hours. Mister Troy – who lives across the street - says he called authorities on Tuesday morning but they didn’t respond.
Mr. Troy,
“I called the San Pedro Sun and said if they heard of any gunshots being reported in Boca del Rio and they told me no but they’ll call the police right now. And then later in the day, maybe midday, I stopped at he police station and asked them if there was an gunshots reported in Boca del Rio and he checked the log and said no gunshots were reported.”
ASP Dennis Arnold,
“They heard these shots and no one came to the police and made any report about shots being fired in the area. I am just appalled at the situation.”
This morning Galvez’s body was rushed off the island via boat to the khmh. It arrived there early this afternoon and it was carted by friends into the morgue for a post mortem. Back on the island the priority for police is catching Galvez’s killer. ASP Arnold says a motive is unclear.
Keith Swift,
Any motive?
ASP Dennis Arnold,
“Well we are still investigating. We have some leads but we cannot comment on those right now. We cannot speculate.”
Keith Swift,
Anyone detained?
ASP Dennis Arnold,
“Not as yet but by the end of the day we should have somebody detained.”
Mr. Troy,
“Its very frightening. Of course we don’t feel the same as we did yesterday. When you have a murder in your neighborhood that you’ve lived for 19 years, its changes things.”
But Lucilo Antonio Guerrero and Mike Madrid say they’ve lost something far more valuable. The loss is greatest for Lucille Guerrero – who manages the One Barrel Bar - which is in the same yard as Galvez’s apartment. The two knew each other for 14 years. Guerrero says his friend had recently fallen on hard times but was working and was on the rebound.
Lucilo Antonio Guerrero,
“This guy is a very good friend to me, very shocking.”
Keith Swift,
Know why they might want to hurt him?
Lucille Antonio Guerrero,
“Hmm I don’t know man but definitely they set to kill him. He didn’t have nothing. He had but something happened to his hotel and he just lost it. He was renting a $100 room from me. First when he came I gave him a couple weeks free because he came with nothing and I always help people like that. Of course I will miss him. I will miss him. He is very good friend, my very good friend. You don’t hear about fighting with him. He plays jokes, he gets drunk like everybody and he deals with people.”
Mike Madrid,
“As far as I know he has no enemies as far as I know but you never know. He had some court action apparently this month but I really don’t know but he was working with me from November, that’s about three months to be exact.”
ASP Dennis Arnold,
“We won’t leave any stone unturned. We will get to the bottom of this and the person who is responsible will be arrested. It is only a matter of time.”
Dr. Mario Estradabran says a post mortem revealed that he was shot several times. He told us because of the state of the body, they are unable to say for certain how many times. San Pedro have detained at least one suspect. And it is double the grief for Alvaro Galvez’s family because his cousin was also discovered dead this morning.
