Photo: Getty
More arrests are coming.
By Rebecca Jane Stokes — Written on Jun 19, 2019
Sports personalities are some of the lucky celebrities. If they play it right, they can have their moment in the sun and then quielyt melt away and live a relatively normal life...if they want to. Of course, once you've lived the life of the rich and famous, it's hard to let that go. Even if it's better for your overall health to do just that.
David Ortiz might no longer be a player for the Boston Red Sox, but he's still very much living the celebrity lifestyle. Sadly, being in the spotlight isn't always a great thing. For one thing, when everyone knows you they can harm you if that's their goal. David Ortiz was recently shot in an organized attempt on his life in the Domincan Republic. Jose Eduardo “Chuky” Cibrian Lebron has been charged with instigating the hit. Let's find out a little bit more about him, shall we? Who is Jose Eduardo "Chuky" Ciprian LeBron?
1. Jose Who?
Here's the bare bones you need before we even start to go any further. Jose Eduardo “Chuky” Cibrian Lebron is who we're going to be talking about today. He's also the man who was in charge of arranging the "hit" on David "Big Papi" Ortiz, the former Boston Red Sox player. It's been confirmed, y'all. This is legit news. Suddenly baseball players are giving football players a run for their money in the scandal department again.
It was Chuky who was responsible for ordering a man named Gabriel Alexander Perez Vizcaino to get $8,000 in payment to the killers he hired to actually do the dirty work of taking out Ortiz. That's right guys, much like onions and parfaits, schemes to murder very famous figures from the MLB also have layers and the authorities managed to peel these back in no time at all. Yay justice!
2. Ortiz's Status
Here's how everything is believed to have gone down, just in case you missed this news or did what I did: saw it was a sports related story and ignored it. Ortiz, who is 43-years-old, was hanging out at a place called the Dial Bar and Lounge in the Domincan Republic. The police in the Dominican Republic announced that they were holding six people in connection with the crime and still trying to find five more: this thing has a lot of moving parts!
Ortiz was rushed to a nearby hospital after the attempt on his life, where he underwent immediate emergency surgery. Once he was stable, he was airlifted home to Boston where he was admitted to Mass General hospital and went through a second surgical procedure. Currently, he's recovering in the ICU though it will be awhile until he's well again.
3. He's Already In Prison
Believe it or not, the police aren't going to have go searching high and low to arrest Chuky, nor are they going to have to worry about not having enough evidence, because the dude is actually already in jail. He's not the only one, either. The police are also investigating Carlos Rafael [Carlos Nike] Álvarez, who is also serving serious time behind bars, in connection with the shooting of Ortiz.
Both Chuky and Alvarez are serving time for aggravated robbery, but Chuky is serving time for another crime, too. Chuky is in jail for murder, but it hasn't stopped him from organizing the hit on Ortiz. According to authorities, it is very common for those who are incarcerated to get access to cell phones. Some use them to stay in touch with friends and family, while others use them like Chuky: to commit further crimes.
4. The Motive
While the motive for the crime hasn't been released, the police from the Dominican Republic have issued a statement revealing that they, at least, have a full understanding of the events that led to the shooting, including motive. They aren't spilling it just yet but all they at least rule out one theory that had been making the rounds: that Ortiz was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
David Ortiz might be a baseball legend, but according to several sources he hasn't always walked the straight and narrow when it comes to her personal life. Ortiz has a history of gambling and associating with figures in that world. He also had an affair and had a serious car crash which he worked very hard to have covered up. There's definitely something shady at play here, let's hope the authorities figure it out before someone goes for Ortiz again. Some believe Ortiz was sleeping with a woman connected to the crime scene (and to Chuky himself) in the DR, but that hasn't been confirmed.
5. What Next?
There are 15 suspects currently being investigated by the police for their involvement in the shooting of Ortiz. It won't be long now before they have questioned everyone involved and have a picture of the events that transpired. In the meantime, David Ortiz is healing.
His wife Tiffany released a statement about Oritz's condition. It read:“He continues to make progress with his recovery in the Intesive Care Unit at Mass General Hospital,” the statement reads. “We remain grateful to everyone who has helped David through this ordeal, both in the Dominican Republic and here in Boston. David’s journey to good health has been bolstered by the many expressions of love that have come to us from across the globe. Your support has lifted his spirits tremendously during this challenging time.”
6. The latest news
On Wednesday evening, June 19th, NBC News reported that David "Big Papi" Ortiz was not the intended target of the hit. It was a case of mistaken identity. Another man, who was dressed similarly to Ortiz, was the intended target. That man was sitting with Ortiz when the shooter walked up and shot the former baseball great. The shooting was orchestrated by a Mexican drug cartel.
Rebecca Jane Stokes is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York with her cats, Batman and Margot. She's an experienced generalist with a passion for lifestyle, geek news, pop culture, and true crime.