Subsequently , the legislature and local press started questioning the actions of the Puerto Rico Police , the Puerto Rico Justice Department , the U.S. Justice Department , and the FBI actions during the first investigation , alleging corruption within the agencies and a conspiracy to cover-up evidence . Letters were sent by various community and political leaders to then Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Senator Edward M. Kennedy , asking for an inquiry into the conduct of the Federal investigations . Several letters even accused former US Attorney General Benjamin R. Civiletti of providing aid to Gov. Romero Barceló during the investigations . Two leaders from the opposing parties , the Popular Democratic Party and the Puerto Rican Independence Party , charged that after a December 1979 meeting between the two , the Governor , then considered as a lifelong Republican , began campaigning to deliver the 41 Democratic Party convention votes of the island for President Jimmy Carter 's ( D ) nomination for the presidency ( ironically , Carter 's opponent for the nomination was Senator Kennedy ) . Almost 45 days after President Carter won the nomination by only one delegate , the U.S. Justice Department announced that due to lack of evidence it was bringing its investigation of the case to an end . A Justice Department internal memorandum that was issued the same month of Romero Barceló 's and Civiletti 's meeting later proved that the investigations were closed even when agents were still investigating important evidence of the case that could potentially incriminate the officers , including “ several unexplained contusions ” on a victim 's face and the fact that one of the police officers recanted his original story , stating that there was in fact “ two bursts of firing ”
nomination for the presidency
1980 Democratic National Convention
Cerro Maravilla murders