Ten of the 13 people accused of attempting to murder David 'Big Papi' Ortiz in the Dominican Republic in 2019 were convicted in a Santo Domingo courtroom on Monday, but the alleged mastermind of the plot was acquitted.
Rolfi Ferreyra Cruz, who is accused of shooting the Boston Red Sox Hall of Famer at a Santo Domingo nightclub, and Eddy Vladimir Feliz Garcia were both sentenced to 30 years in prison. Eight other defendants were sentenced to between 5 and 20 years in prison by the First Collegiate Court of Santo Domingo.
Three defendants were acquitted due to insufficient evidence, including Victor Hugo Gomez Vasquez, who is accused of organizing the plot.
Ortiz was shot in the back at near point-blank range while having drinks with friends, including local TV host Jhoel Lopez. Police first arrested Eddy Feliz Garcia, Cruz's driver, who was chased down at the bar by a crowd of Ortiz's supporters and beaten relentlessly until officers arrived.
The plan, according to Dominican authorities, was to target Sixto David Fernandez on June 9, 2019. But Fernandez was seated at a table with Ortiz and the shooters confused the two. A three-judge panel agreed that the shooters targeted Sixto Fernández, but a motive was not established.
As a result, Ortiz spent six weeks in a Boston hospital and required three surgeries, including one to remove his gallbladder.
Speaking with Diario Libre, one of the country's leading newspapers, Ortiz did not seem angry with the convicted defendants.
'Life sends you messages in such strange ways that everything becomes a learning experience,' Ortiz said. 'Life changed me but to improve things... although nobody wanted that to happen to them, but I am one of the people who always take the positive out of everything negative.
'I hope that these young people learn from their mistakes and it becomes clear to them that the path they took is not correct and that is why justice punishes them.
'As I said before, I forgave them and healed both physically and mentally and that is the best option.'
The full sentences will be read on February 8.
A year ago, Ortiz was voted for enshrinement into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Ortiz, 46, received 77.9 percent of the vote from the Baseball Writers Association of American (BBWAA) in his first year on the ballot - slightly above the requisite 75 percent to earn induction.
Big Papi was among baseball's most recognizable faces through the 2000s and 2010s. His enormous grin endeared him to fans, but the Dominican's hulking frame menaced pitchers, especially in the late innings. He had 23 game-ending hits, including three during the 2004 postseason while Boston ended an 86-year World Series drought.
Ortiz batted .286 with 541 home runs with Boston and Minnesota while making 88 percent of his plate appearances as a designated hitter, the most by anyone in the Hall.
The three-time World Series winner has remained in public view in retirement as a studio analyst for Fox Sports' postseason coverage.
He was briefly sidelined after the 2019 shooting, but returned to the air during the postseason four months later.
