Nationality Puerto Rican | Name Antonio Cotto | |
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Died May 16, 1952, Ponce, Puerto Rico | ||
La vengaza de correa coto parte 1
Antonio Correa Cotto (1926 – 1952), also known simply as Correa Cotto, was the first outlaw to gain legendary status in Puerto Rico.
Contents
Early years
Correa Cotto was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. He began his criminal career as a child and by the time he was a teenager he had amassed a long criminal police record.
Criminal career
He committed two murders in Ponce and was sentenced to two life sentences in the state penitentiary. At the time of his sentencing, Correa Cotto swore that he would get even with those who testified against him and whom he deemed responsible for his current situation. On October 28, 1950, Correa Cotto instigated a prison revolt where some of the prison guards died. Arming himself with guns and ammunition, he escaped from prison. Correa Cotto made his way to a sector of Ponce called "Villa Olga", where he murdered 10 people.
The authorities organized what was then the largest manhunt in the history of the island. They placed a US$10,000 bounty on his head, either dead or alive, which was a first in the crime annals of Puerto Rico. The police detained over 70 friends and family members for questioning. On May 16, 1952, the police were alerted that Correa Cotto was living on a farm in "Barrancas" on the outskirts of the City of Ponce. When the police arrived, they called on him to surrender, but he answered by firing his gun. The police set fire to the sugar cane fields which surrounded Correa Cotto's hideout. He came out firing a gun in one hand and held a machete in the other. Under the orders of Captain Luis M. Pérez, the police opened fire on Correa Cotto, killing him.
Postscript
Three movies have been made about the life of Correa Cotto. These include the movie Correa Cotto: Así me Llaman (Correa Cotto: That's what they call me) (1968), produced by Antony Felton, which showed the popular impact that Correa Cotto's crimes had on the Puerto Rican society of the 1950s. In La Venganza de Correa Cotto (The Vengeance of Correa Cotto) (1969), produced and directed by Jeronimo Mitchel and Anthony Felton with the participation of Miguel Ángel Álvarez and Lucy Boscana, the producers attempt to look into the human and intimate side of Correa Cotto.