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(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) Dominican authorities on Monday identified the man they believe paid hit men to try and kill David Ortiz, adding that they were closing in on the mastermind and motive behind the shooting of the famous slugger who is recovering at a hospital in Boston.

The man was identified as Alberto Miguel Rodriguez Mota, whom authorities say is a fugitive. The announcement was made as a judge held a hearing closed to the public for another suspect nicknamed "Bone." Officials did not release details, but according to court documents obtained by The Associated Press, the man, whose real name is Gabriel Alexander Perez Vizcaino, is accused of being the liaison between the alleged hit men and the person who paid them.

The documents state that a man who is in prison for an unrelated case reached out to Perez for the alleged job a week before the June 9 shooting at a bar in Santo Domingo and sent him a picture of the target so he could share it with the hit men.

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