Milagros Reyes Montanez
|
|
Milagros Reyes Montanez (born 1977) is a Guayama, Puerto Rico resident, who made national headlines on June 24 of 2004, after defending her eleven year old daughter from a would be rapist.
| Contents |
Small biography
Reyes Montanez was born at the South Puerto Rico city of Guayama. At the age of sixteen, she gave birth to a daughter. Years later, she met a man named Carlos E. Soto, with whom she began to live soon after they met.
Police account of what happened
According to Puerto Rican police, Reyes Montanez returned home on June 20 of 2004 to find Soto on the verge of raping her daughter. As soon as she caught him, she jumped on to the bed and struggled with him. Reyes Montanez was able to drop Soto to the floor, tying him with a rope. She then proceeded to undress him and grab a knife. Reyes Montanez then used the knive to stab Soto several times on his chest and back. Her stabbings were done in such a way that they read "Ninos no tocar!" ("Children, do not touch!"). Soto and Reyes Montanez were promptly arrested, but Soto required a short hospitalization before being taken to jail.
The charges
Carlos E. Soto was charged with attempted rape, sexual molestation and child abuse. His bail was set at two hundred fifty thousand dollars, which he could not give, so he was sent to jail. By her part, Reyes Montanez was charged by judge Ruben Serrano for three violations of the Puerto Rican dangerous arms law and two violations to the domestic violence law. Her bail was set at one thousand dollars, which she gave. She was sent free pending trial.
On September 20, 2004, trial began for both Soto and Reyes.
Public reaction
Reyes Montanez has become sort of a folk hero to Puerto Ricans across the island. Her stand against a would be rapist has been seen by many as an heroic thing for a mother to do. In a poll conducted by Puerto Rican newspapers, most voters agreed that she should not be sent to jail.
Also see
External link
- El Vocero's take on the case, in Spanish (http://vocero.com/noticia.asp?n=44102&d=6/24/2004)