Laura Hernández
Encyclopedia
Laura Hernández Pérez is a Puerto Rican
actress and journalist best known for being jailed in the Dominican Republic
after being accused of drug trafficking with her husband and five other individuals who were traveling with her at the time of her arrest. She once served as co-host of Puerto Rican show
No te Duermas
("Don't Fall Asleep").
In 1998, she took a break from her college studies to participate in the Miss World
beauty pageant representing the town of Hatillo
.
She debuted in movies with the local production Impacto Mortal along with Ricky Vázquez, with whom he would share hosting duties on the Univision
entertainment show A Fuego. She later starred in another local movie titled Complot, again with Vázquez.
During this time, she opened a boutique
with her mother called Porte.
She hosted the radio show Estudio X on the local radio station La Nueva X.
In theatre, she performed in plays such as El HP ("The SOB") and Tus Compañeros de Cama II ("Your Bed Partners II").
She later worked as arts and culture news reporter
for Univision's Las Noticias.
Maximiliano Paglia (from 2001 to 2002), and later to Marcos Irizarry, whom she married on May 11, 2002. On March 9, 2006 she filed for divorce from Irizzary, who continues to serve his sentence in the Dominican Republic. http://noticiaslibres.com/absolutenm/templates/?a=64&z=
by the Dominican police and charged with trafficking
drugs to their country. Hernandez and Irizarry had been in the Caribbean
country for nearly a week, touring through different cities and places. According to police reports, their every move had been monitored by police while there. They were arrested while eating at a restaurant. The police said they found drugs in a private boat used by the couple.
Hernández has had chronic stomach disease since she was a child, and her condition worsened the first weeks she was in jail, requiring hospitalization at a medical center outside jail. Her arrest and subsequent trial made the headlines all over Puerto Rico-- El Nuevo Dia
, El Vocero
, and other newspapers gave it wide coverage. During her convalescence she also received frequent visits from family members and friends.
In June 2003, Hernández was sentenced to seven years in jail, and her husband to fifteen. On October 29 it was announced that Hernandez would be retried, which could lead to her regaining her freedom. The trial began on November 14.
On March 19, 2004, her defense team suffered a serious setback, when a motion to remove audiovisual evidence from her second trial was rejected by the court.
On December 14 of that year, rumors began to spread that she might get a medical release from jail due to her stomach disease. Puerto Rican television gossiper Kobbo Santarrosa criticized the idea, arguing that her husband, Marcos, who has cancer
, should be considered for release first.
and another inmate in a jail riot
, it was announced that Dominican judges were considering awarding Hernández an indult, which would grant her freedom without absolving her of guilt. On July 11, the Dominican court announced that Hernández would be free by September, but her husband would be kept in jail.
Hernandez received the news with anger, mainly because her husband will have to stay in jail and because she was not cleared of the charges.
She was released on August 26, 2005 after a petition was granted to allow her "early release" due to good conduct and all the educational programs she developed while she was incarcerated. Normally, under Dominican laws, Hernández would never be able to return to the Dominican Republic. But since her husband remains jailed, in her case, the law was not enforced.
After her return to Puerto Rico, she began working as a show host, alongside Antonio Sanchez
, in Sanchez's production of "No Te Duermas", televised on Telemundo Puerto Rico
. She remained on No te Duermas until September 2007.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
actress and journalist best known for being jailed in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
after being accused of drug trafficking with her husband and five other individuals who were traveling with her at the time of her arrest. She once served as co-host of Puerto Rican show
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
No te Duermas
No te Duermas
No te Duermas is a Spanish-language television program, a late-night talk and variety show from Puerto Rico. It started airing in 1990 as a late night show with comedian Antonio Sanchez El Gangster in WSTE-TV SuperSiete...
("Don't Fall Asleep").
Career
Hernández has worked in several professions during her life.In 1998, she took a break from her college studies to participate in the Miss World
Miss World
The Miss World pageant is the oldest surviving major international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951...
beauty pageant representing the town of Hatillo
Hatillo, Puerto Rico
Hatillo is a municipality located on Puerto Rico's north coast, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, Lares and Utuado to the south, Camuy to the west, and Arecibo to the east. According to the 2000 US Census Hatillo is spread over 9 wards and Hatillo Pueblo...
.
She debuted in movies with the local production Impacto Mortal along with Ricky Vázquez, with whom he would share hosting duties on the Univision
Univision
Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...
entertainment show A Fuego. She later starred in another local movie titled Complot, again with Vázquez.
During this time, she opened a boutique
Boutique
A boutique is a small shopping outlet, especially one that specializes in elite and fashionable items such as clothing and jewelry. The word is French for "shop", via Latin from Greek ἀποθήκη , "storehouse"....
with her mother called Porte.
She hosted the radio show Estudio X on the local radio station La Nueva X.
In theatre, she performed in plays such as El HP ("The SOB") and Tus Compañeros de Cama II ("Your Bed Partners II").
She later worked as arts and culture news reporter
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
for Univision's Las Noticias.
Personal relationships
Hernández has been married twice, first to entrepreneurEntrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
Maximiliano Paglia (from 2001 to 2002), and later to Marcos Irizarry, whom she married on May 11, 2002. On March 9, 2006 she filed for divorce from Irizzary, who continues to serve his sentence in the Dominican Republic. http://noticiaslibres.com/absolutenm/templates/?a=64&z=
Arrest and imprisonment
Late in 2002, Hernández and her husband Marcos Irizarry were arrested in the Dominican RepublicDominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
by the Dominican police and charged with trafficking
Illegal drug trade
The illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
drugs to their country. Hernandez and Irizarry had been in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
country for nearly a week, touring through different cities and places. According to police reports, their every move had been monitored by police while there. They were arrested while eating at a restaurant. The police said they found drugs in a private boat used by the couple.
Hernández has had chronic stomach disease since she was a child, and her condition worsened the first weeks she was in jail, requiring hospitalization at a medical center outside jail. Her arrest and subsequent trial made the headlines all over Puerto Rico-- El Nuevo Dia
El Nuevo Día
El Nuevo Día is a Puerto Rican newspaper based in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico and distributed daily throughout Puerto Rico and some parts of the United States.- History :...
, El Vocero
El Vocero
El Vocero is a Puerto Rican newspaper that is published in San Juan.Published since 1974, El Vocero was at first the third of the four largest Puerto Rico newspapers, trailing El Mundo and El Nuevo Día and leading The San Juan Star in sales...
, and other newspapers gave it wide coverage. During her convalescence she also received frequent visits from family members and friends.
In June 2003, Hernández was sentenced to seven years in jail, and her husband to fifteen. On October 29 it was announced that Hernandez would be retried, which could lead to her regaining her freedom. The trial began on November 14.
On March 19, 2004, her defense team suffered a serious setback, when a motion to remove audiovisual evidence from her second trial was rejected by the court.
On December 14 of that year, rumors began to spread that she might get a medical release from jail due to her stomach disease. Puerto Rican television gossiper Kobbo Santarrosa criticized the idea, arguing that her husband, Marcos, who has cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, should be considered for release first.
Release from Jail
On March 15 of that year, however, and after the deaths of Edwin Adams CottoEdwin Adams Cotto
Edwin Adams Cotto was a Puerto Rican who became infamous in 2002, after he was accused alongside famous reporter Laura Hernandez of drug trafficking from Puerto Rico to the Dominican Republic.-Biography:...
and another inmate in a jail riot
Prison riot
A prison riot is an act of concerted defiance or disorder by a group of prisoners against the prison administrators, prison officers, or other groups of prisoners in attempt to force change or express a grievance....
, it was announced that Dominican judges were considering awarding Hernández an indult, which would grant her freedom without absolving her of guilt. On July 11, the Dominican court announced that Hernández would be free by September, but her husband would be kept in jail.
Hernandez received the news with anger, mainly because her husband will have to stay in jail and because she was not cleared of the charges.
She was released on August 26, 2005 after a petition was granted to allow her "early release" due to good conduct and all the educational programs she developed while she was incarcerated. Normally, under Dominican laws, Hernández would never be able to return to the Dominican Republic. But since her husband remains jailed, in her case, the law was not enforced.
After her return to Puerto Rico, she began working as a show host, alongside Antonio Sanchez
Antonio Sánchez (Puerto Rican host)
Antonio Sánchez is a Puerto Rican radio and television personality, show host and producer. Very famous across Puerto Rico for his crass humor, he is also known for his nickname: El Gangster...
, in Sanchez's production of "No Te Duermas", televised on Telemundo Puerto Rico
Telemundo Puerto Rico
The name Telemundo Puerto Rico may represent:* WKAQ-TV, a Telemundo station in San Juan, Puerto Rico* Telemundo Puerto Rico , a former Spanish-language cable network...
. She remained on No te Duermas until September 2007.
See also
- List of famous Puerto Ricans