Tweet
CARACAS, Venezuela -- Former Major League baseball pitcher
Ugueth Urbina was sentenced to 14 years in prison for the attempted
murder of five workers on his family's ranch, the Attorney
General's Office announced Wednesday.
Urbina, a former pitcher with the Montreal Expos, Boston Red
Sox, Texas Rangers, Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers and
Philadelphia Phillies, was also found guilty of illegal deprivation
of liberty and violating a prohibition against taking justice into
his own hands during a dispute over a gun on Oct. 16, 2005,
according to a statement from the Attorney General's Office.
The 32-year-old free agent was accused of joining a group of men
in attacking and injuring workers with machetes and pouring
gasoline on them at his family's ranch, located about 25 miles
south of Caracas.
"The ruling was too severe," said Jose Antonio Baez, a former
attorney who represented Urbina.
Urbina repeatedly has denied involvement with the violence,
saying he was sleeping at the time of the attack.
The pitcher's lawyer, Jose Luis Tamayo, has said that Urbina
surprised the workers by showing up at his ranch that night while
they were bathing in the pool without permission. Urbina spoke
sharply to them, but later left and went to sleep, according to
Tamayo.
Urbina, a two-time All-Star, last pitched in the major leagues
with the Phillies in 2005. He's 30th on the all-time saves list
with 237. He had two saves in the 2003 World Series for the
victorious Marlins.
Ugueth Urbina was sentenced to 14 years in prison for the attempted
murder of five workers on his family's ranch, the Attorney
General's Office announced Wednesday.
Urbina, a former pitcher with the Montreal Expos, Boston Red
Sox, Texas Rangers, Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers and
Philadelphia Phillies, was also found guilty of illegal deprivation
of liberty and violating a prohibition against taking justice into
his own hands during a dispute over a gun on Oct. 16, 2005,
according to a statement from the Attorney General's Office.
The 32-year-old free agent was accused of joining a group of men
in attacking and injuring workers with machetes and pouring
gasoline on them at his family's ranch, located about 25 miles
south of Caracas.
"The ruling was too severe," said Jose Antonio Baez, a former
attorney who represented Urbina.
Urbina repeatedly has denied involvement with the violence,
saying he was sleeping at the time of the attack.
The pitcher's lawyer, Jose Luis Tamayo, has said that Urbina
surprised the workers by showing up at his ranch that night while
they were bathing in the pool without permission. Urbina spoke
sharply to them, but later left and went to sleep, according to
Tamayo.
Urbina, a two-time All-Star, last pitched in the major leagues
with the Phillies in 2005. He's 30th on the all-time saves list
with 237. He had two saves in the 2003 World Series for the
victorious Marlins.