Maria Yeribell Martinez Garcia is getting some viral interest this week, though it’s likely not the kind that the Dominican model wants.
Shortly after the shooting of baseball legend David Ortiz in his native Santo Domingo, Garcia was identified by some celebrity news outlets as the women believed to be at the center of the attack. As The Daily Mail reported, the attack on Big Papi was reportedly ordered by a local gang leader who believed the baseball star was moving in on his woman.
“Dominican Police say a gang of sicarios – hitmen – stalked Ortiz before shooting him at point blank range to claim 400,000 Dominican Pesos ($7,805) that was offered to gun down the former Red Sox star,” the report noted. “Police have not said who was behind the ‘murder for hire’ plot but three law enforcement sources told DailyMail.com it’s believed the organizer was a Dominican drug lord who thought Ortiz was having an affair with his girlfriend.”
Maria Yeribell Martinez Garcia denied any romantic involvement with David Ortiz, though she did tell a Dominican television station that the two were friends and that Ortiz knows her family. Garcia reportedly rushed to the hospital to be by his side in the wake of the shooting. She was later seen clashing with members of Ortiz’s entourage in the waiting room of the medical center, the report added.
The stories have brought a rush of attention to Maria Yeribell Martinez Garcia, with pictures of the curvy model spreading across social media. The attention does not seem to be welcome for Garcia, who made her Instagram page private in the wake of the attention.
Adding to the drama is the fact that David Ortiz has been married to wife Tiffany for more than 15 years, and the couple has three children together. The two separated in 2013, the Boston Globe noted, but they later reconciled. Tiffany has taken the lead as family spokesperson this week, releasing a statement on Tuesday to tell fans that David had undergone a second surgery after being flown from the Dominican Republic to Boston.
Other reports indicate that the “love triangle” story about Maria Yeribell Martinez Garcia may not be the real reason behind the attack on David Ortiz. As CNN reported, the suspected gunman is wanted for a series of armed robberies in New Jersey. Authorities in the Dominican Republic have already arrested seven people in connection to the attack, though they have not yet released a motive in the shooting.
