Shirley Firth, nearly 94, lives in a small village in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England, and hopes the retrial for her daughter Lindsay de Feliz’s murder, set to open this week in the Dominican Republic, will finally convict those responsible.
The body of 64-year-old de Feliz, a successful author, was found in a shallow grave near her home in northwestern Dominican Republic in December 2019.
“We are surprised and overjoyed this has happened, hoping that important new evidence will be presented this time. Lindsay was intelligent, thoughtful, kind, and generous in every way,” Firth said. She remains active, closely following case developments and staying in touch with her daughter’s friends on Facebook, who have shared that de Feliz feared for her life late in life.
De Feliz’s husband of 14 years, Danilo Feliz Torres, along with his two sons and a fourth man, were acquitted in a previous trial on charges linked to her murder. That verdict was appealed to the country’s Supreme Court, which ordered a new trial before three different judges.
Lindsay de Feliz once enjoyed a successful life in England, working as a marketing manager for several companies in London’s financial district. In 2002, she left her husband, job, and life in England to pursue her passion for scuba diving. After living in the Maldives, she settled in the Dominican Republic, worked as a diving instructor, and married a local man in 2005.
In 2006, after being shot in the throat during a robbery, de Feliz could no longer work as an instructor. She began blogging about life in the Dominican Republic and published two memoirs, “What About Your Saucepans?” and “Life After My Saucepans.” The titles refer to her mother’s comment after buying her a set of saucepans as a Christmas gift that de Feliz did not take to the Dominican Republic. Her debut book reached number one on Amazon’s Kindle travel books chart.
She loved the country and its people. According to her mother, de Feliz often brought suitcases filled with over-the-counter medications like aspirin, paracetamol, and bandages from England to distribute to the poor who lacked access to these basics.
Firth said her daughter shared more of her fears about her life with friends than with family. But on her 2019 birthday, de Feliz told her mother she did not think she would live to old age. When Firth tried to ask more, she changed the subject. “We can’t have closure until this is finished. We hope for a solution and to see justice done. I believe if I live to be old, I need to make use of my time, stay active, and keep pursuing this. I want justice for Lindsay, as do her family and many friends worldwide. It means a lot to me to do my best to achieve this,” Firth added.
A spokesperson for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British woman who died in the Dominican Republic and are in contact with local authorities.”
