A Cambridgeshire mother in her 90s is hoping to finally see justice for her murdered daughter when a retrial into her death opens in the Dominican Republic this week.
Case Background
The body of Lindsay de Feliz, 64, a successful author, was found in a shallow grave near her home in the northwest of the Dominican Republic in December 2019. Her mother, Shirley Firth, who will be 94 next month and lives in a small village in Huntingdon, hopes that those responsible for her daughter's death will finally be convicted.
“We are astonished and very pleased this has happened and hoping that new vital evidence will be presented this time,” said Firth. “Lindsay was clever, thoughtful, kind and generous in every way.”
Mother's Efforts
Firth, still active and closely following her daughter's case, was until recently a parish councillor. She continues to communicate with some of her daughter's friends on Facebook, who shared information that de Feliz feared for her life near the end.
“I am in contact with people on Facebook but don’t use TikTok or Instagram,” said Firth.
Previous Acquittal
De Feliz’s husband of 14 years, Danilo Feliz Torres, his two sons, and a fourth man were acquitted in a previous trial after charges connected to her murder. The acquittal was appealed to the country’s supreme court, which ruled for a new trial before three different judges.
Lindsay's Life
De Feliz led a successful life in the UK as a marketing manager for various City firms. In 2002, she left her husband, job, and UK life to pursue scuba diving. After time in the Maldives, she settled in the Dominican Republic, worked as a scuba-diving instructor, and married a local man in 2005.
Following a robbery in 2006 where she was shot in the throat, de Feliz could no longer work as an instructor. She turned to writing blogs about her life and published two memoirs: What About Your Saucepans? and Life After My Saucepans. The titles referenced her mother's comment about a Christmas gift of saucepans she left behind. Her first book reached No. 1 in the Amazon Kindle travel books chart.
She adored her adopted country and its people. According to her mother, de Feliz would return to the Dominican Republic after Christmas visits to the UK with suitcases full of over-the-counter medicines like aspirin and paracetamol, distributing them to those in poverty.
Fears and Hopes
Firth said her daughter shared more fears with friends than family. However, on her birthday in 2019, de Feliz told her mother she didn't think she would live to an old age. “When I tried to probe her about that she changed the subject,” said Firth.
“We can’t have closure until this whole thing is finished,” she added. “We hope for some resolution and to see justice done. I believe if I’m living to be old, I need to make use of the time I have, keep active and keep going with this.”
“I want justice for Lindsay as do her family and many friends across the world. It means so much to me to try all I can to achieve this.”
A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of a British woman who died in the Dominican Republic and are in contact with the local authorities.”
