When your lover’s old boyfriend shows up unannounced at your front door, it often means big trouble. This was the case for 57-year old American David Baldino Dominic, who died in a hail of bullets on May 14th, in front of his home in Herradura, Puntarenas. The accused killer is a Nicaraguan by the name of Acuna Centero who came looking for his ex at Dominic’s house early Friday morning. The unidentified female remains in the hospital in critical care.

Dominic and his lover were heading out the door of their home Friday, when Centero showed up looking to reconnect with his ex. Dominic, who was already in his car waiting to leave, heard a scuffle in his home and returned to check on his lady friend. She had already been shot in the hand and leg, and Centero immediately began to fire on Dominic, who died in a volley of bullets in front of his home. Neighbors had called the Fuerza Publica, who arrived and discovered Dominic deceased beside his automobile.
The police cordoned off the crime scene, and took Centero into custody at the scene. Centero was taken to the police station and booked for attempted murder. His immigration status is under review by authorities.

According to the Red Cross, the unidentified female companion of Dominic suffered bullet wounds to her hand and leg, and was taken by ambulance to the nearest hospital. Her condition was described as critical and she was suffering from severe blood loss.
Costa Rica has experienced a steady decrease in murders from its high in 2017 of 603 homicides, or 12.1 per 100,000 people, to 2019 where there were 545 murders, or 10.6 per 100,000 people. Murders are down 5% since 2018. Murder rates are often used to compare the safety of one country to another. The fact remains that Central America is one of the most dangerous regions on earth, and Costa Rica has a very low crime rate compared to its Central American neighbors.

The US Embassy classifies the risk to American citizens traveling or living in Costa Rica as “very high”, due to both the crime rate and the COVID-19 rates. More Americans die in traffic accidents or by drowning than by any other means in Costa Rica.
Visiting Americans are often told in bars and casinos that “if the surf don’t get you, the chicas probably will.” Sadly, that seems to be what happened to Dominic. May he rest in peace

About the Author :