The short version
- El Nuevo Día reported Ernesto “Pupy” Hernández López, 43, was stabbed to death Friday morning in an apartment in San Juan’s Las Margaritas housing project
- The second victim, still unidentified, was found shot to death Saturday in a vacant lot in Mayagüez and also belonged to the LGBTQ+ community
- Federation president Pedro Julio Serrano requested a meeting with Police Superintendent Joseph González and said this is the fourth such killing this year
- Police have recorded 365 homicides island-wide so far this year, 28 fewer than at the same time in 2025
Updates
Update, Nov 7, 3:29 PM AST
El Nuevo Día and Telemundo add cause of death for first victim, exact location details, police division investigating, tip line number, and island-wide homicide total.
El Nuevo Día reported that Ernesto “Pupy” Hernández López, 43, was killed by multiple stab wounds. A confidential tip line call alerted police Friday morning to a body in an apartment in building 3 of the Las Margaritas housing project in Santurce. Officers found him in a bedroom. The San Juan Homicide Division of the Criminal Investigation Corps is investigating and asks anyone with information to call 787-343-2020. El Nuevo Día reported
The federation confirmed the second victim, found shot to death Saturday in a vacant lot between the Candelaria housing project and the PR-2 pedestrian bridge in Mayagüez, was also LGBTQ+. Police in both cities activated protocols to investigate possible hate crime and gender violence motives. Pedro Julio Serrano requested a meeting with Superintendent Joseph González. El Nuevo Día reported
As of Thursday, police had recorded 365 homicides island-wide this year, 28 fewer than the 393 at the same point in 2025, according to El Nuevo Día. The new reports do not contradict the earlier account from NotiCel and Metro Puerto Rico.
Calls for Full Investigation
The Federación LGBTQ+ de Puerto Rico voiced alarm on Saturday after learning of two murders of LGBTQ+ individuals that occurred within less than a day. The first killing took place on Friday in San Juan and the second over the weekend in Mayagüez. NotiCel reported the organization asked authorities to examine all possible motives, including hate and gender violence.
Pedro Julio Serrano, president of the federation, confirmed that Ernesto “Pupy” Hernández López belonged to the LGBTQ+ community. He stated that police and Justice Department protocols require investigating every angle. Serrano told reporters he personally contacted Police Superintendent Joseph González to request a meeting. Both Metro Puerto Rico and NotiCel reported that officers in San Juan and Mayagüez said they had activated protocols for crimes against LGBTQ+ people and would probe all circumstances.
Also on PuertoRico.com: Mayagüez travel guide
What the sources posted
Posts and statements below are the sources' own words, quoted as published. They are not independently verified.
Tal como dictan los protocolos de la Policía y el Departamento de Justicia, pedimos que se investiguen todos los ángulos, incluyendo el de odio y el de violencia de género.
Our translation: As dictated by Police and Justice Department protocols, we ask that all angles be investigated, including hate and gender violence.
The source's own statement, as quoted by NotiCel. Not verified by PuertoRico.com.
Second Victim Still Unidentified
The second body was discovered in a vacant lot between the Candelaria residential area and the pedestrian bridge on highway PR-2 in Mayagüez. Police informed the federation that the victim was also a member of the LGBTQ+ community, but the person has not been officially identified. According to Metro Puerto Rico, the identity will be released once family members claim the body at the Institute of Forensic Sciences.
Serrano questioned why authorities do not always record a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity in reports, noting that this information often comes from relatives or community members. The federation, which includes hundreds of individuals and over one hundred allied organizations, called for respect for all lives regardless of orientation or identity.
Where the sources differ
All four sources agree on the two killings within less than 24 hours, the identity and San Juan location of the first victim, the unidentified second victim in Mayagüez, the federation’s call to investigate hate crime and gender violence motives, Serrano’s request for a meeting with Superintendent Joseph González, and that protocols were activated in both cities. El Nuevo Día and Telemundo add that the first victim died of multiple stab wounds, the precise location in building 3, the investigating unit, a tip line number, Serrano’s criticism of incomplete recording of victims’ orientation, and the year-to-date homicide count of 365. NotiCel called it the fourth such death this year; El Nuevo Día agrees. No major contradictions exist.
What the reports do not say
The reports provide no cause of death for the second victim, exact times of either killing, any suspects or arrests, or whether evidence of hate or gender violence has been found. They also omit whether the victims knew each other, any response from the Department of Justice, details of the requested meeting with the superintendent, and the identity or next of kin of the second victim.
Sources
Every link below was opened and checked when this story was published and last updated. Official means a government body, agency or the organization itself; Reporting means a news outlet.
- Reporting Federación LGBTQ+ alerta por dos asesinatos de personas de la comunidad en menos de 24 horas
- Reporting Federación LGBTQ+ expresa preocupación por asesinato de dos personas de la comunidad en menos de 24 horas
- Reporting Federación LGBTQ+ pide indagar todos los ángulos del asesinato a puñaladas de Ernesto “Pupy” Hernández
- Reporting Piden que se investiguen todos los ángulos en asesinato a puñaladas de "Pupy"
How we checked this
El Nuevo Día and Telemundo Puerto Rico supplied new details on the first victim’s cause of death, the precise scene, the investigating division, a tip line, and the island-wide homicide total, while the original NotiCel and Metro Puerto Rico accounts remain the primary sources for the federation’s overall alert and Serrano’s statements on police reporting practices.
Compiled by the PuertoRico.com News Desk from the reports and statements listed above, and checked against them before publishing. It does not include original interviews. Spot an error? Email support@puertorico.com with a link to this story.
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