Jet Set Case Restart: What Happens Next After the Ruling
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC · WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Key Facts
- —The country The Dominican Republic is a Caribbean country of roughly 11 million people, and this case is heard in its capital, Santo Domingo.
- —Why it matters A roof collapse at a Santo Domingo nightclub killed 236 people on 8 April 2025, and the case against its two owners now has to start over.
- —Why now On Friday 16 October 2026 a judge changed the charge to eventual intent and sent the file to a multi-judge tribunal.
- —What happened Prosecutors charged involuntary homicide, and the judge accepted a stronger label, eventual intent, which moves the case to a larger tribunal.
- —What happens first The presidency of the Criminal Chamber has a collegiate tribunal assigned by lottery, and that tribunal then sets the first hearing.
- —The numbers Three to 20 years is the new range. The first trial opened on 28 August, and the ruling stopped it on 16 October.
- —What it means for you Visitors face no new rules from the ruling. Anyone following the case should expect a longer wait for a verdict.
- —Still open Which tribunal is drawn, when it meets, and whether the owners’ court restrictions carry over.
The Jet Set case restart begins with a lottery, not a hearing, because the file must now be assigned by draw to a multi-judge tribunal. Judge Franny González Castillo of the Fourth Criminal Chamber ordered that on Friday 16 October 2026 after accepting a charge of homicide with eventual intent against nightclub owners Antonio and Maribel Espaillat.
The judge said the process “is interrupted and starts from zero in the new tribunal”, Hoy reported (our translation). Both owners are presumed innocent, and the 8 April 2025 roof collapse that killed 236 people remains a matter of allegations until a court rules.
For US readers, the main point is timing, because a verdict is now further away and no hearing date exists. Dominican outlets say the date of the next hearing depends on the call issued by whichever tribunal is drawn.
The Jet Set Case Restart Step by Step
First, the file goes to the presidency of the Criminal Chamber of the National District Court of First Instance, which has one of its collegiate tribunals assigned by random draw, Hoy and Acento report. Prosecutor Wilson Camacho said the draw is held at the coordination office of those tribunals, and the coverage reviewed gives no date for it.
Second, the tribunal that is drawn must be formally given the case and issue a call to hearing. Acento says the date of the next hearing depends on that call, and Camacho said prosecutors are waiting for the summons.
Third, the trial starts again under the new label of voluntary homicide and injuries through eventual intent, citing articles 295 and 309 of the penal code. Acento reports the judge said the new proceeding must keep the guarantees of the defence.
Prosecutors say they will present their evidence a second time. “We are ready, more than ready,” Camacho said, N Digital reported (our translation).
Why the File Cannot Stay With the Same Judge
The new range of three to 20 years exceeds the 10-year limit of the Fourth Criminal Chamber, so the judge declared his court materially incompetent, Hoy reports. That is why the change forces a new court rather than a continuation of the trial.
He had said on 9 October that his chamber hears offences punishable by up to ten years, Diario Libre reported. Article 73 of Law 97-25, the Code of Criminal Procedure, gives cases above ten years to a tribunal of three judges.
Complainants asked that the same judge keep the case if he changed the charge, N Digital reported on 10 October, and prosecutors asked, Diario Libre reported, that the process not begin again. The judge ruled instead that it starts from zero, so neither request was followed.
What the New Charge Changes and What It Leaves Alone
N Digital reports that the judge accepted eventual intent under articles 295 and 309 of the penal code, with a range of three to 20 years. He rejected the added circumstance of a crime preceded, followed or accompanied by another crime, along with a request to widen the accusation and alleged breaches of urbanisation and engineering laws.
The judge said a label can change over the same facts without altering them, N Digital reports, so the factual base of the accusation stays as filed. He also said a trial court is not bound to keep the label set at the preliminary stage.
Diario Libre had reported that the complainants’ request could open penalties of up to 30 years, while the judge’s stated range tops out at 20. As of the 9 October hearing, prosecutors still backed involuntary homicide, so the stronger label came from the complainants.
How Long the Earlier Stages Took
After Judge Raymundo Mejía ordered the trial on 15 June 2026, the opening hearing came 74 days later, on Friday 28 August. Hearings were then set for Fridays, N Digital reported on 11 September.
The first trial opened on Friday 28 August, and the ruling stopped it seven weeks later, on Friday 16 October. The file runs to 156 pages and lists 84 witnesses, N Digital said on 11 September, when three prosecution experts had already testified.
Those figures describe the earlier court and do not predict how fast the new tribunal will move. The coverage reviewed offers no estimate for the new trial.
What It Means for You
Visitors to the Dominican Republic are not directly affected, since the ruling concerns one case against two owners. We found no report of new safety rules for other venues.
Relatives of victims, including those living abroad, should plan for a longer wait because evidence will be heard again. For the story behind the dates, see Jet Set Nightclub Collapse Timeline and the New Charges, and for the ruling itself, see Jet Set Eventual Intent Ruling on 16 October.
We also covered the freeze on the owners’ assets in Dominican Republic Court Upholds Asset Freeze in the Jet Set Case. For the wider setting, see Dominican Republic Explained 2026: The Country, Its Economy, Its Politics and What to Watch, and for who runs the institutions, see Dominican Republic Politics Explained, Who Holds Power; our Santo Domingo city page gives background on the capital.
What Is Not Known
The coverage reviewed does not say which tribunal will be drawn or when it will meet. It also does not quote the defence on the ruling, so whether the owners will challenge it is unconfirmed.
It is not reported whether the owners’ restrictions carry over to the new tribunal. They are RD$50 million each in guarantees (about US$810,000 at the central bank’s 15 October mid-point of about RD$61.5 per US$), an exit ban and regular check-ins, plus an asset immobilisation of up to RD$500 million (about US$8.1 million) ordered in June 2026.
It is also unclear whether earlier testimony and expert reports can be reused, since the judge said the case starts from zero. The overload and beam-deterioration accounts remain the claims of the prosecution and the defence, and outlets give injury counts from more than 100 to 183.
Guilt has not been decided by any court. The owners remain presumed innocent while the new tribunal is drawn.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens next in the Jet Set case restart?
The file goes to the presidency of the Criminal Chamber, which has a collegiate tribunal assigned by random draw. That tribunal then issues a call to hearing, and the trial starts from zero.
Why can the same judge not keep the case?
The new charge carries three to 20 years, above the 10-year limit of his chamber. The judge therefore declared his court incompetent and sent the file up.
Will witnesses and experts have to testify again?
Prosecutors say they will present their evidence again before the new tribunal. Whether earlier testimony can be reused has not been reported.
What penalty could the owners face?
The new classification carries three to 20 years in prison. Guilt has not been decided, and the owners are presumed innocent.
When will the new trial begin?
No date has been set, because the tribunal has not yet been drawn. Acento reports the date will depend on the call that tribunal issues.
Sources: Hoy, 16 October 2026; Hoy, 16 October 2026 (ruling); Acento, 16 October 2026; Acento, 16 October 2026 (ruling); N Digital (Camacho), 16 October 2026; N Digital, 16 October 2026; Listín Diario, 16 October 2026; Diario Libre, 9 October 2026; N Digital, 10 October 2026; N Digital, 11 September 2026; N Digital, 28 August 2026; De Último Minuto, 15 June 2026; Acento, 2 July 2026; Law 97-25, Code of Criminal Procedure, article 73; Banco Central de la República Dominicana, 15 October 2026 rates. The Poder Judicial and Ministerio Público releases themselves were not available to us; court events are reported as relayed by these outlets. Conversions use the Banco Central de la República Dominicana rates for 15 October 2026 (buying RD$61.26, selling RD$61.77 per US$), taking the mid-point of about RD$61.5 as our own arithmetic.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief