Cuba Archive - Case 3432

Case ID: 3432

Title: N/A

First name: Luis Pedro

Last name: Torroella Martín Rivero

Suffix: N/A

Aliases: N/A

Name also reported as: Luis Torruella Rivero / Luis Felipe Torruella

Age: 30

Gender: Male

Date of Birth: Day:26 / Month:8 / Year:1932

Civil Status: Unknown

Date of death/disappearance: Day:11 / Month:1 / Year:1962

Citizenship: Cuba

Last known address: Ave 11 #6208

Last known city: Mariano

Last known province-TOD: La Habana

Last known province current: Ciudad de La Habana

Last known country: Cuba

Location death-address: Shooting range

Location of death - city: Santiago de Cuba

Location of death province - at TOD: Oriente

Location of death province - current: Santiago de Cuba

Location of death - country: Cuba

Trial held?: Yes

Docket Number: N/A

Sentence details: Capital punishment

Arrest or detention at time of death: Yes

Date of arrest: N/A

Imprisoned/Detained: Location: La Cabaña Fortress prison

How long imprisoned/detained: Around six months

Death attributed to: Castro regime

Death attribution detail: Raul Castro

Associated Event: 1961 Bay of Pigs/Celia

Case description:

Infiltrated from overseas in a C.I.A. operation to support the 2506 Brigade for the Bay of Pigs invasion, was captured, first taken to La Cabaña Fortress prison in Havana, then hastily to Boniato prison in Santiago, for a speedy trial and immediate execution by firing squad. At Boniato prison, awaiting his execution, he smuggled a photo of his daughter Cynthia to his friend and fellow political prisoner Ramiro Gómez Barrueco, and asked him to tell his daughter that he had died as a man and that she had been in his heart until his last moments. Raul Castro had taken special interest in his imprisonment from the start, had been present in his early interrogation and had told him that if he did not cooperate with information, he would be executed. Luis did not talk. Raul attended his execution in Santiago. His death certificate (Book 2, p.332, Section on Deaths, Juzgado Municipal del Sur, Santiago de Cuba), lists the cause of death as bullets from firearms, has the death occurring at 5AM at the shooting range in Santiago and indicates the body was to be buried at the Santiago cemetery. The family, however, was not told where it was placed. He left a twenty-seven-year-old wife and a six-year-old daughter. 
Luis had studied a Masters in Economics in the U.S. at Dartmouth College, married a fellow student (US citizen), and returned to Cuba with his new wife in 1954. He went to work at the Merril Lynch office in Havana and the couple had a daughter. He joined the anti-Batista resistance and, after the ouster of Batista, went to work for the Minister in the Treasury Department of the new revolutionary government. But, he soon became concerned over the apparent Communist takeover, he left for the US with his wife and child. There, he began to help the Cuban resistance and returned to Cuba, where he was captured.
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Se infintró en Cuba desde el extranjero en un operativo de la CIAen apoyo a la Brigada 2506 para la invasión de Bahía de Cochinos, fue capturado, trasladado primero a la cárcel Fortaleza de La Cabaña en La Habana, luego apresuradamente a la cárcel de Boniato en Santiago, para un juicio rápido y ejecución inmediata por fusilamiento. En la prisión de Boniato, a la espera de su ejecución, pasó de contrabando una foto de su hija Cynthia a su amigo y compañero preso político Ramiro Gómez Barrueco, y le pidió que le dijera a su hija que él había muerto como un hombre y que ella había estado en su corazón hasta sus últimos momentos. Raúl Castro se había interesado especialmente en su encarcelamiento desde el principio, había estado presente en su primer interrogatorio y le había dicho que si no cooperaba con la información, sería ejecutado. Luis no habló. Raúl asistió a su ejecución en Santiago. Su certificado de defunción (Libro 2, p. 332, Sección de Defunciones, Juzgado Municipal del Sur, Santiago de Cuba), enumera la causa de la muerte como disparos de armas de fuego, tiene la muerte ocurrida a las 5 de la mañana en el polígono de tiro de Santiago e indica que el cuerpo iba a ser enterrado en el cementerio de Santiago. Sin embargo, a la familia no se le dijo dónde se encontraba. Dejó una esposa de veintisiete años y una hija de seis.
Luis había estudiado una Maestría en Economía en los Estados Unidos en el Dartmouth College, se casó con una compañera de estudios (ciudadana estadounidense) y regresó a Cuba con su nueva esposa en 1954. Se fue a trabajar a la oficina de Merril Lynch en La Habana y la pareja tuvo un hija. Se unió a la resistencia anti-Batista y, tras el derrocamiento de Batista, pasó a trabajar en el Departamento de Hacienda del nuevo gobierno revolucionario. Pero, pronto se preocupó por la aparente injerencia comunista, se fue a los Estados Unidos con su esposa e hija. Allí, comenzó a ayudar a la resistencia cubana y regresó a Cuba, donde fue capturado.

Sources: Conflict of Evidence:

Violation Status: Confirmed with primary source(s)

Cause of Death: - Execution: by firing squad

Occupations: - Business and Financial Operations Occupations

External Files: N/A

Relatives in Archive: N/A

Victim Type: - Anti-Castro insurgent or resistance member

Affiliations: - Presumed affiliation with the C.I.A.

Other Victims Same Event: N/A

Case Record - Luis Pedro Torroella Martín Rivero