A top baseball prospect for the San Francisco Giants has been charged with murdering a 25-year-old man in a bar over the weekend in his Caribbean homeland.
Angel Villalona, 19, who was signed by the Giants in 2006 and received a club-record US$2.1 million signing bonus, wore a bulletproof vest at his Monday hearing at a court in the southern coastal city of La Romana. He pleaded innocent to the murder charge.
Villalona could face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty in the Saturday night shooting death of Mario Felix de Jesus Velete.
Judge Aranibal Manzano Zapata ordered Villalona, who turned himself in 12 hours after the fatal shooting at a La Romana bar, jailed for two months while authorities prepare their case in the Dominican Republic.
Police haven’t said what the motive for the deadly shooting was.
Villalona refused to talk to reporters and tried to hide his face from photographers.
The first baseman played in 74 games with Class-A San Jose this season. Baseball America chose him as the Giants’ top prospect before the 2008 season and he was selected for the Futures Game during All-Star festivities that year.
The Giants said on Monday night they wouldn’t comment further after issuing a statement on Sunday saying the club was “disappointed” to learn that Villalona was considered a suspect by Dominican police.
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