The National Police and the Mossos d’Esquadra have arrested in a joint operation carried out in Barcelona, one of the most wanted fugitives in Spain. The arrested man is the alleged perpetrator of a homicide committed in 2002, when he shot an employee of a Tarragona company in the head during a robbery, having a network of personal and family ties that facilitated his financial maintenance and favored his concealment , as reported this Sunday by the National Police.
Considered one of the most wanted fugitives in Spain due to his long history as a fugitive and the characteristics of the crime committed, had in force an Order of Search, Detention and Admission to prison for homicide, in addition to two claims for Search, Detention and Personation for robbery with violence. He had been missing since 2012 when he fled justice after being sentenced to 25 years in prison for the events.
Robbery and homicide
The investigation began in July 2017, when the agents learned of the validity of the judicial claim requesting collaboration to find the whereabouts of a man who had disappeared since 2012, for which there were four legal claims, being the more important the one decreed by homicide.
The events date back to July 25, 2002 when the detainee, along with two other people, stole a vehicle and, covering his face with a ski mask and armed with a sawed-off shotgun and a revolver, committed a robbery at a company in Tarragona . During the assault, they demanded that the workers fall to the ground while seizing the cash, according to the National Police in a statement.
After taking the loot and before they got into the vehicle, a man jumped on one of them causing them both to fall to the ground and during the struggle managed to strip him of his ski mask. Given all this, the now arrested approached the scene and fired the sawed-off shotgun at the head of the man, who died that same day from the injuries caused.
Forensic investigation
At the time, the facts could not be fully clarified until in 2011, thanks to advances in forensic investigation techniques and the current tools available to the Police, the collected lofoscopic fingerprints were reintroduced into the system. in the visual inspection and resulted in the identification of one of the authors. Likewise, the balaclava that the victim took from one of the robbers was re-analyzed and, given the improvement in techniques for obtaining genetic markers, the DNA of another of the robberies was obtained. All these advances and the new investigations made it possible to demonstrate that this criminal organization had committed more than 79 robberies with firearms, as well as the death of three other people.
With all this, the perpetrators who were placed in preventive detention were arrested, although the one now arrested was released until the trial was held and took advantage of this circumstance to flee and avoid serving the 25-year prison sentence that He was imposed for theft of a vehicle, robbery with intimidation, homicide and illegal possession of weapons, with disguise and recidivism.
He was hiding in a farmhouse with difficult access
Considered one of the most wanted fugitives in Spain due to his long history as a fugitive and the characteristics of the crime committed, he was not listed as the owner of any property or vehicle and had no known job, so he used people from his environment to achieve the basic sustenance with the sole purpose of going unnoticed and not leaving any trace that would allow locating it.
Later in the investigations, the agents learned that several members of their family environment were owners of several farms in different locations in the province of Barcelona. After carrying out several checks in these areas, the investigators were able to verify that the current couple of the fugitive had their habitual residence in a farmhouse with difficult access in Castellvi de la Marca (Barcelona) and that the wanted was taking refuge in it, leaving just a few hours day.
With all the information collected, the agents proceeded to search the home, a moment that the fugitive took advantage of to leave through a back door and take refuge in a nearby forest with his sentimental partner. After an extensive device, which even had the support of aerial means with thermal cameras, he was located and detained when he was in the nearby town of La Múnia, waiting to be picked up by relatives to take him to an unknown place.
The agents have been able to verify that, for many years, he impersonated another person, deceiving even his current romantic partner and her daughter, who were stunned to learn his true identity and his violent background.
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