Ex- Marine Freed in Venezuela Prison Swap Over Triple Murder Conviction

A Complex Case of International Justice and Repatriation

Dahud Hanid Ortiz, a 54-year-old former U.S. Marine born in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, was convicted of committing three murders in Madrid in 2016. He received a 30-year prison sentence from a Venezuelan court on July 22, as revealed by court documents and statements from the families of the victims. Ortiz, who holds both U.S. and German citizenship, was among those repatriated to the United States on July 18 as part of a prisoner exchange agreement.

This deal involved the release of 252 Venezuelan nationals who had been held in a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. Many of them were accused by U.S. officials of being criminals or affiliated with the Tren de Aragua gang, a notorious group known for its involvement in organized crime and violence. Ortiz is currently believed to be in Texas, where he arrived after his release. As of press time, the U.S. State Department has not released any information regarding his legal status or whether he remains in custody.

Before his military service, Ortiz had a distinguished career as a combat veteran, serving in Iraq and South Korea. He was awarded the Purple Heart for his service. However, his military career came to an end when he was dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Army after being found guilty of falsifying documents related to his residence and military record.

After leaving the Marines, Ortiz's personal life began to fall apart. His relationship with a German doctor, Irina Trippel, ended, and she started a new relationship with Peruvian lawyer Víctor Yoel Salas Cobeñas. This led to a violent reaction from Ortiz, who became obsessed and consumed by anger.

On June 22, 2016, Ortiz executed a calculated and brutal plan in Madrid, according to court records. He went to the lawyer’s office and mistakenly killed an Ecuadorian client, believing him to be his romantic rival. He then attacked and killed two women who worked at the office: Maritza Osorio Riverón, a secretary, and Elisa Consuegra Gálvez, a lawyer and partner of Salas. Before fleeing, he set fire to the office and left a fake business card with the logo of a supposed Mexican cartel to mislead the investigation.

Following the attack, Ortiz fled Spain, leading to an international arrest warrant. He was eventually detained in 2018 by Venezuelan authorities during a routine security operation in the state of Bolívar. For years, Ortiz was held in the Caracas headquarters of Venezuela's Military Counterintelligence Directorate, initially under suspicion of espionage.

In December 2021, Venezuelan and international media uncovered Ortiz's identity and the charges against him. According to reports, he had used false identities and spoken multiple languages while in detention, including Spanish, English, German, and Russian. He was tried and sentenced in Venezuela rather than in Spain because the Venezuelan Constitution prohibits the extradition of Venezuelan-born citizens, but allows them to be prosecuted for crimes committed abroad.

Ortiz was sentenced in January 2024 to 30 years in prison, the maximum sentence provided for in Venezuelan law, for the charges of homicide and arson. On June 1 of this year, Ortiz was moved from his cell and taken to a separate location where he recorded video messages addressed to U.S. officials, claiming to be in poor health and without access to food or medicine. Sources familiar with the situation said he was instructed to follow a prepared script.

The decision to include Ortiz in the prisoner exchange has drawn criticism from the families of the victims. Salas, the Madrid-based attorney whose law office was the site of the attack, spoke publicly after learning of Ortiz's sentence. "We all feel deceived, betrayed and defrauded," Salas said during an interview with the Spanish television program Vamos a Ver. "Dahud Hanid Ortiz was never a political prisoner. He was a convicted and sentenced murderer. The court documents make that absolutely clear."

Salas also questioned the involvement of former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who reportedly played a mediating role in the negotiation between Venezuela and the United States. He urged all parties involved to take steps to acknowledge and rectify what he described as a miscarriage of justice.