Dalia Vellos Speaks Out After Christy Guzman Cleared of Charges

In the wake of the withdrawal of all charges against her niece, Christy Guzman, Dalia Vellos has issued a powerful public statement detailing the abuse she endured and the traumatic events leading up to the fatal shooting of Wilson Hernandez.

Vellos, 37, described years of domestic abuse, saying, “People say we got away with it. What they don’t see is what I lost long before that morning—my peace, my safety, my sense of self… I never wanted his death. My niece only reacted in a moment of fear and panic. It was survival.”

The DPP ordered all charges dropped against Guzman, 21. Deputy DPP Javier Chan cited new evidence showing Hernandez was choking his partner, Dalia Vellos, when her sister, holding a licensed firearm, shot at his arm. The bullet passed through his arm into his torso, fatally wounding him. The incident occurred off camera, and the DPP had no evidence to dispute the account.

According to Vellos, Hernandez had been choking her at the time of the incident, and she handed her licensed firearm to Guzman to prevent Hernandez from gaining control of it. The bullet, she said, struck Hernandez while he attacked her, ultimately fatally wounding him.

In her Facebook post, Vellos highlighted the broader issue of domestic violence, calling attention to the struggles victims face: “Domestic violence is real, and it destroys you inside out… Many victims remain afraid to speak because help and protection are often unavailable, or because society and social media amplify judgement and misinformation. As a society, we are failing each other.”

She also condemned the public backlash against Guzman: “It seems so unfair to see so much negativity and false accusations towards my niece… It was never planned—it was survival.”

Vellos attached pictures of graphic text conversation between her and Hernandez. The messages show Hernandez repeatedly trying to locate her and demanding that she commit suicide.

Vellos concluded her statement with a message to other survivors: “I want to be an example for other victims to speak out, seek help, and document abuse so they do not become another statistic.”