CubaHeadlines

Cuban Man Detained in Mexico After Pleading with Judge to See His Autistic Son

Tuesday, October 1, 2024 by Edward Lopez

Nestor Damián González (born June 26, 1987, in Havana) has been incarcerated for 15 months in Mexico's Santiaguito prison following a viral incident at the Toluca Family Courts. He had sought to request that a judge allow him to see his son, who has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, as explained by the boy’s paternal grandfather, José Fernández Olivera (González's stepfather). According to Fernández Olivera, González's ex-partner had been preventing him from seeing their son for a significant period.

González, who worked as a manager at a Coppel store, decided to pursue legal action to gain visitation rights with his son, who was three years old at the time and is now nearly six. However, before the court hearing could take place, a brawl erupted, making headlines across Toluca. Both sides of the custody battle were involved in the altercation.

Fernández Olivera claims that González's ex-partner and her sister, Karla Mildred Gómez Garduño, who was acting as her lawyer, allegedly attacked González and his mother, who sustained injuries and required medical treatment. CiberCuba reached out to González's defense team on Facebook but had not received a response at the time of publishing.

The altercation occurred on April 8, 2022. Following the viral incident, González's ex-sister-in-law and his ex-partner’s lawyer filed a complaint against him. Mexican authorities imposed a pre-trial detention measure, fearing he might flee the country despite his eight-year residency in Mexico, stable employment, and established roots.

González's mother filed a counter-complaint for her assault, but it was dismissed, allegedly due to the influence of the accused parties. She remains in Mexico, awaiting the trial, while under police protection to prevent further aggression.

In statements to CiberCuba, Fernández Olivera revealed that González's father, who resides in Cuba, has been deeply affected by his son's imprisonment. He believes Mexican authorities are deliberately delaying the trial to prolong González’s detention. "The main issue is that he has been imprisoned for 15 months, a victim of judicial corruption. My wife has faced further attacks and is now under protection. She is stranded in Mexico, and I send money from the United States to cope with the extortion we are facing,” Fernández Olivera stated. "They never married and were only in a relationship for two years."

"We cannot understand why they applied such an extreme measure as pre-trial detention when the video clearly shows that it was they who attacked my wife and son," Fernández Olivera concluded.

© CubaHeadlines 2024