Havana/The Cuban optometrist José Emilio Galán Preval was convicted in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the feminicide of his partner, also Cuban, Yaimara Leyva Cadet. According to authorities, on January 23, the 47-year-old man “lost control” and stabbed the victim to death after she refused to prepare rice for him. “I am responsible for what I did,” the defendant said before fleeing.
After tracking the location of his cell phone, authorities located him in a desert area, detained him and booked him into a Clark County jail.
District Judge Jacqueline Bluth took into account, in favor of the accused, that he assumed “responsibility immediately”, in addition to “expressing his deep regret” and not having a criminal record. However, he acknowledged how difficult it was for him to “reconcile these things” when passing sentence.
The magistrate rejected the request of Clark County Assistant Prosecutor Phil Froehlich, who asked for an additional 20 years for the use of the weapon. Instead, he imposed a complementary sentence of between four and ten years, for a total sentence of between 14 and 35 years in prison.
According to data from the Alas Tensas Gender Observatory (Ogat), Galán Preval had previously accepted a “plea deal,” which contemplated a sentence of between 10 and 25 years in prison for the murder charge.
Galán Preval had previously accepted a “plea deal,” which included a sentence of between 10 and 25 years in prison for the murder charge.
During the hearing, Galán Preval apologized to Leyva Cadet’s family. With the assistance of an interpreter, he testified in court that he would have preferred to be in the victim’s place.
The evidence presented by the Prosecutor’s Office established that the femicide occurred in the living room of the home that the couple rented in the 1800 block of Canosa Avenue. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police responded to a call received at 12:56 p.m. and, upon arriving at the home, found the woman with multiple stab wounds to her face and back.
Leyva Cadet was transferred to Sunrise Hospital, where she died that same day. Among the evidence incorporated into the file is the testimony of the victim’s son, who managed to disarm the aggressor.
The defense explained that both worked as optometrists in Cuba and that they emigrated together to the United States with the intention of settling in that country, although they did not offer further details about their arrival.
This feminicide committed by a Cuban citizen adds to the case of Yoel Rodríguez Barrientoswho pleaded guilty to the murder of his wife, Tara Krishnaran, and their daughter, Larissa Singh. The accused faces two life sentences in Guyana.
During 2025, the organizations Alas Tensas and Yo Sí Te Creo in Cuba documented a total of 12 completed cases of feminicide or murder of Cuban women outside the island. Of that total, six occurred in the United States, which represents 50% of the registered cases.
Among them is the femicide of Dabely Morales, which occurred on May 23 in Georgetown, Guyana. According to the report from both observatories, the Cuban citizen was allegedly murdered by her stepfather inside her home, while her mother suffered serious injuries.
