TWO LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY MEMBERS MURDERED IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS IN PUERTO RICO

LGBTQ+ Federation calls for full investigation as police examine possible hate-crime motives.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — November 7, 2026 — Puerto Rico police are investigating two separate murders involving members of the LGBTQ+ community, reported less than 24 hours apart in San Juan and Mayagüez.

The first victim was identified as Ernesto “Pupy” Hernández López, 43, who was found dead Friday morning inside an apartment in Building 3 of the Las Margaritas public housing complex in Barrio Obrero, San Juan. Preliminary reports indicate that Hernández López suffered multiple stab wounds.

The second killing was reported Saturday morning in Mayagüez, where police discovered the body of a transgender individual in a vacant lot between the Candelaria public housing complex and a pedestrian bridge along PR-2.

The victim suffered multiple gunshot wounds, and several shell casings were recovered at the scene. Authorities had not publicly released the person's identity as of Saturday.

FEDERATION DEMANDS ANSWERS

Puerto Rico's LGBTQ+ Federation confirmed that both victims belonged to the LGBTQ+ community and called for a thorough investigation into possible hate crimes and gender-based violence.

Federation President Pedro Julio Serrano contacted Police Superintendent Joseph González requesting a meeting to discuss the two killings and the handling of investigations involving LGBTQ+ victims.

Police have reportedly activated the transfemicide investigation protocol in the Mayagüez case to determine whether anti-transgender bias played a role.

According to the Federation, the Mayagüez killing represents the fourth murder of an LGBTQ+ community member in Puerto Rico this year.

Authorities have not established that either killing was motivated by hatred, and no connection between the two cases has been publicly confirmed.

Both investigations remain ongoing as police work to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths and identify those responsible.