Read on the GuardianJustice Delayed: 94-Year-Old Mother Seeks Conviction in Daughter's Dominican Republic Murder Retrial
Shirley Firth, 94, from Cambridgeshire, hopes a retrial in the Dominican Republic will finally convict those responsible for the 2019 murder of her daughter, Lindsay de Feliz. De Feliz, a successful author who had moved to the Caribbean to pursue scuba diving, was found in a shallow grave. Her husband and three others were acquitted in a previous trial, but a supreme court appeal has led to a new hearing.
In a case spanning over six years, Shirley Firth, a 94-year-old mother from a small village in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, is preparing to see renewed legal proceedings against those suspected of murdering her daughter, Lindsay de Feliz, in the Dominican Republic. The retrial, set to open this week, represents a significant step in a long and arduous journey for justice that has tested the limits of international legal cooperation and personal endurance.
De Feliz, a 64-year-old successful author, was found murdered in a shallow grave near her home in the northwest of the Dominican Republic in December 2019. She had left her marketing career in the UK and her husband in 2002 to follow her passion for scuba diving, spending time in the Maldives before ultimately settling in the Dominican Republic. There, she worked as a scuba-diving instructor and married a local man, Danilo Feliz Torres, in 2005.
The previous trial concluded with the acquittal of de Feliz's husband, his two sons, and a fourth man. However, an appeal to the country's supreme court successfully argued for a new trial, which will now be heard before three different judges. Firth expressed astonishment and hope at this development, stating that new vital evidence is expected to be presented. She described her daughter as "clever, thoughtful, kind and generous in every way."
A Life Transformed by the Caribbean
De Feliz's life in the Dominican Republic was one of stark contrasts. After being shot in the throat during a robbery in 2006, she could no longer work as a diving instructor. She turned to writing, publishing two memoirs, What About Your Saucepans? and Life After My Saucepans, which referenced a comment by her mother. The first book reached number one on the Amazon Kindle travel books chart. She also maintained a strong connection to her adopted country, bringing over-the-counter medicines from the UK to distribute to those in need.
The Pursuit of Closure
Firth, who remains active as a former parish councillor, has stayed in contact with her daughter's friends through Facebook. She learned that de Feliz had expressed fears for her life in her final years. On her birthday in 2019, de Feliz told her mother she did not think she would live to an old age, but changed the subject when pressed. Firth stated that the family cannot have closure until the case is resolved, expressing a personal drive to pursue justice despite her advanced age.
The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has confirmed it is supporting the family and is in contact with local authorities in the Dominican Republic. As the retrial begins, the focus remains on whether a full resolution can be achieved, bringing a measure of peace to a family that has waited years for justice. Firth's determination serves as a powerful testament to a mother's enduring love and her refusal to give up hope for her daughter.
