Lydia Echevarría

Case details

Lydia Echevarría (born October 14, 1931) was a Puerto Rican actress convicted of plotting the murder of her husband, television show producer Luis Vigoreaux.

She was married to Luis Vigoreaux, who produced the 1960s and 70s WAPA-TV television shows Pa’rriba Papi Pa’rriba and Sube Nene Sube. Echevarría co-hosted those shows with him. Echevarría and Vigoreaux became one of Puerto Rico’s most famous couples. Echevarría and Vigoreaux had two daughters, Vanessa Vigoreaux and Glendaly Vigoreaux.

Timeline

• February 10, 1960 — Lydia Echevarría married Luis Vigoreaux and joined him as co-host in their television shows Pa’rriba Papi Pa’rriba and Sube Nene Sube transmitted through WAPA-TV.
• 1982 — Luis Vigoreaux allegedly began an affair with model Nydia Castillo.
• 1983 — Luis Vigoreaux was found burnt to death inside his car.
• 1984 — Echevarría was formally accused of her husband’s death.
• 1986 — Echevarría was found guilty and sentenced to 208 years in a women’s prison in Vega Alta, P.R.; she began serving her sentence at the Vega Alta Women’s jail.
• 1996 — During the observation of Women’s Week, the Puerto Rico Senate voted 21-0 urging her release.
• 1999 — Governor Pedro Rosselló allowed her to leave jail to live at home under a curfew; she was paroled in 1999.
• January 27, 2000 — Governor Pedro Rosselló commuted her sentence.
• 2001 — She resumed her acting career with the presentation of a play titled “Confinadas” (meaning women prisoner) in the same prison where she served her time.
• July 15, 2008 — Glendaly Vigoreaux was found dead by her husband Paul Hacker in their home on Frier Drive in Glendale, Arizona.

The offence

Luis Vigoreaux was found burnt to death inside his car in 1983, after which public accusations followed pointing fingers at different people.

Echevarría was convicted of masterminding the murder of her husband, which involved kidnapping and murder of Luis Vigoreaux.

Investigation and arrest

In connection with the murder, the police tracked down kidnappers who said Echevarría paid them $2,500 for the murder.

Trial

In 1984, Echevarría was formally accused of her husband’s death. Her trial was described as one of the most sensational in Puerto Rican history, with a media circus atmosphere because of the celebrity status of the couple.

In 1986, Echevarría was found guilty and sentenced to 208 years in prison.

The separate account also states that after a sensational trial, Echevarría was convicted in July 1986 for first degree murder and kidnapping and received a 208-year sentence.

Sentencing and imprisonment

Echevarría was sentenced in 1986 to 208 years in a women’s prison in Vega Alta, P.R., and she began serving that sentence at the Vega Alta Women’s jail.

She served 13 1/2 years according to one account. Another statement in the record also says she spent 13 years in jail.

Appeals

No appeal information was included.

Outcome

Governor Pedro Rosselló allowed Echevarría to leave jail in 1999 to live at home under a curfew.

The record also states that Governor Pedro Rosselló commuted her sentence on January 27, 2000. After receiving release, she appeared in plays and some TV shows with the condition that she be home by 8 p.m. every night. She later applied to the Puerto Rico Parole Board to extend her curfew from 8 p.m. until 1 a.m. so she could do evening performances, but she was turned down.

Aftermath and later life

After her release, Echevarría appeared in plays and some TV shows on the condition that she be home by 8 p.m. every night. In 2001, she resumed her acting career with the presentation of a play titled “Confinadas” in the same prison where she served her time.

On March 4 (year not specified in the record), she was described as having knees that bothered her, and that “otherwise she felt ‘fine.’” During the same period, the record states that she had applied to extend her curfew but was turned down.

Glendaly Vigoreaux, one of Echevarría’s daughters, was found dead by her husband Paul Hacker in their home on Frier Drive in Glendale, Arizona on July 15, 2008. Glendale County, Arizona police confirmed that Glendaly Vigoreaux Echevarría’s death was being investigated as a suicide, as confirmed by an autopsy performed by the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office. The report indicated officers responded to a call on Tuesday, July 15 at 9:58 AM from the residence of Glendaly Vigoreaux and Paul Hacker on Frier Drive. The record states that Hacker told police officers that he left his house around 7:30 AM and returned shortly thereafter, finding Vigoreaux lifeless on the floor. The body had a bullet wound to the head. A semiautomatic caliber .380 revolver was found at the scene. Forensic and physical evidence was consistent with a self-inflicted shooting, and the manner of death pointed to suicide. The reason for Vigoreaux to take her life was unknown in the record.

Rafael Miranda Rodríguez, identified as Vigoreaux’s uncle and Lydia Echevarría’s brother, provided statements including: “at 4:00 PM, I spoke to Lydia from the airport in Houston - which means she has not arrived - and told me that [Glendaly’s sister] Vanessa – who is in Glendale, in front of the house – told her that it was full of paparazzi, worse that here.” Miranda also said: “it was finally confirmed to Lydia, after Glendaly’s autopsy, that it was a suicide. Glenda's husband Paul had not told her due to all her health conditions such as diabetes, heart conditions, and thyroid. Seeing her so desperate about the illnesses, he made the decision not to say [anything] about the suicide. That is the scenario Lydia faced. And Vanessa is over there. Paul practices target shooting and had new-automobile dealerships.” Miranda added: “Paul is traumatized because he had never lived that experience among celebrities, and said that seeing all those photographers was a horrible thing. For now, the body will be brought home for a wake.”

Other details

A press account dated March 9, 2001 described a recent matinee performance at the Guaynabo Performing Arts Center where Echevarria was the star of “The Convicts,” a play about life in prison. The account described Echevarria’s return to the stage as occurring little more than a year after receiving a commutation of her sentence for first degree murder of her husband. The same account mentions Echevarria appearing in a production play titled “Maggie,” described as a woman sentenced to 99 years in prison for killing her husband, as a reprise of a role Echevarria played on stage 20 years earlier.

The same press account also stated that Echevarria remained unrepentant and that Echevarria’s health deterioration led to humanitarian reasons for release described as being from declining health. It also included that when a Channel 11-TV reporter asked her about the murder, she “stormed off the set.” It further stated that on stage, while making her curtain call in Guaynabo, she “did a few dance steps before heading for the wings.”

The record includes film and television participation including:

• “Doña Ana (short)” — as Dona Ana (2003)
• “Life During Wartime” — as Evangelina (2009) (Post-production)
• “Vivir para tí (TV series)” — as Clara (1982)
• “Yo sé que mentía (TV series)” — (1982)

The record included an account involving Francisco “Papo” Newman, describing him as a Puerto Rican convicted of murder after allegedly participating in the murder of Luis Vigoreaux on January 17, 1983. It says Newman was arrested, confessed, and testified against his accomplices in exchange for a reduced sentence. The record states that Newman identified David López Watts as his accomplice and Vigoreaux’s wife Lydia Echevarría as the mastermind. It also stated: “(in 1986, she was found guilty and sent to prison for 254 years).” Newman stated that he was addicted to drugs and that he had taken drugs before committing the crime. The record states Newman confessed that it was he who entered Vigoreaux’s car and ordered Vigoreaux to drive to the place where the murder was committed. It also states he confessed that after López Watts stabbed Vigoreaux, he hit the victim on the head with a car wrench. It further states Newman confessed that it was he who spread gasoline over Vigoreaux’s car and set it on fire, burning Vigoreaux to death while he was still alive and locked in the trunk of the car. The record states Newman was charged with first degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, conspiracy, and aggravated damages, and that he expressed regret about his actions, attributing his behavior at the time to his drug addiction.

Another quoted naming and description in the record includes: “The police tracked down the kidnappers” and statements about Echevarría paying them $2,500 for the murder.

No verbatim judicial or sentencing remarks were included.