Perfume hustler killed in her Mercedes in horrifying attack

A glamorous 28-year-old perfume entrepreneur was killed and her husband injured in a dramatic drive-by shooting police say was carried out by a hitman being driven around in an Uber.

Authorities allege 22-year-old suspect Elias Díaz hired an Uber driver to spend the day searching for Denny Caraballo and his wife Maria Villasmil in the Dominican Republic town of Sabana Iglesia, about 100 miles north of the capital Santo Domingo.

Díaz allegedly ambushed the couple at about 11pm on Friday and unloaded on the car, with at least 12 bullet casings from a 9mm firearm discovered at the scene. 

Villasmil was shot several times and was rushed to a hospital in Santiago, where she was pronounced dead.

Caraballo, was shot five times in the buttocks and arms but survived.

A law enforcement source told Esto No Es Radio that Díaz hired an Uber driver off the clock and spent the entire day searching for the couple. Surveillance footage showed the car driving around the town for hours before finding the horrific attack. 

The source said authorities questioned five people over the apparent assassination, including Miguel Ovalles, a well-known figure in the local cockfighting industry who previously dated Villasmil.

The source added that Ovalle supposedly felt betrayed when Villasmil married his friend, Caraballo in January 2024. Celebrities and politicians, including a former president of the Dominican Republic, contacted investigators on behalf of Ovalles and defended him.

Maria Villasmil, a native of Venezuela, was shot dead Friday in Sabana Iglesia, a municipality in the Dominican Republic province of Santiago.

The 28-year-old was driving her Mercedes Benz with her husband when the gunman intercepted them in a vehicle driven by an off-duty Uber driver and fired 12 shots at the couple. Villasmil was pronounced dead at a hospital and her husband, Denny Calderon, was shot five times and survived Pictured: María Villasmils Mercedes Benz 

Elias Díaz (pictured) is wanted for the murdering María Villasmil and wounding her husband, Denny Caraballo

A Dominican National Police spokesperson ruling out robbery as a motive for the shooting, with investigators were also searching for a Colombian man who previously dated Villasmil for questioning.

The alleged shooter, Díaz, left behind an unknown sum of money and jewelry that later found inside the Mercedes Benz.

A witness told Dominican Republican journalist Ricardo Oviedo that Caraballo, who owns a car dealership, managed to call him for assistance after the shooting.

Investigators found 12 bullet casings as well as an unknown sum of cash and jewelry that the shooter did not take from the vehicle

A Dominican Republic law enforcement source told Esto No Es Radio, a morning show that airs daily on 93 FM, that Maria Villasmil was murdered by a hired assassin. Police launched a manhunt for the gunman, identified as 22-year-old Elias Díaz

María Villasmil operated an online business via Instagram and took orders for perfumes

The man arrived on the scene and found Calderón lying outside the the bullet-ridden luxury vehicle. 

He pulled Villasmil out out of the car and drove her to the medical facility.

Police records showed that Caraballo was arrested in February for the illegal possession of two guns and two magazines.

Villasmil operated her own fragrance business via an Instagram account and accepted orders that were shipped within the Caribbean Island.