It all started with leaving an Asian restaurant in southern Gran Canaria without paying. The investigation into the death of a man whose charred body was found in September 2021 in a burned-out vehicle in Pozo Izquierdo, in the municipality of Santa Lucía de Tirajana (Gran Canaria), is going to trial in Maspalomas. The proceedings of Jury Court 2271/2021 have moved forward with the prosecution's request to open the oral trial, in accordance with Article 27.4 of Organic Law 5/1995. The defendants DJRP, JFAV, and EPAV face serious charges following the events of September 2021, related to the homicide of AC, whose charred body was found in a vehicle in Pozo Izquierdo, Gran Canaria, as reported at the time by Canarias7 . According to the Prosecutor's report, the events occurred on the night of September 11, 2021, when the defendants, along with MESJ, AEA, and AC, traveled from Vecindario to the Japanese restaurant SIII in Playa del Inglés in a Lancia Ypsilon. After eating at the restaurant, the defendants allegedly left the establishment, leaving AC alone, as he had no money to pay the bill, which prompted police intervention.
Hours later, the defendants and their companions reportedly returned to Vecindario and met at DJRP's home. According to the provisional findings, AC was brutally assaulted upon arriving at the home, where DJRP and JFAV allegedly beat him repeatedly. EPAV allegedly assisted by providing a sheet, which the attackers used to tie AC's hands and feet before causing his death by mechanical asphyxiation.
AC's body was found on September 13, burned inside the vehicle used that night. The forensic report confirms that the cause of death was mechanical asphyxiation, resulting from multiple traumas and airway obstruction with blood. DJRP has a criminal record for assault and burglary and has been in pretrial detention since September 17, 2021. JFAV also has a criminal record for burglary and has been in pretrial detention since September 21, 2021. EPAV, with an expungable criminal record, has been in pretrial detention since September 17, 2021.
The Prosecutor's Office considers the facts constitute homicide, pursuant to Article 138 of the Criminal Code. DJRP and JFAV are accused of being perpetrators, while EPAV is considered a necessary accomplice, pursuant to Articles 27 and 28 of the Criminal Code. The Prosecutor's Office requests that the three defendants be sentenced to 15 years in prison, complete disqualification from prosecution during the sentence, and payment of court costs. The defendants' pretrial detention time already served will also be credited. The case, which has had a significant impact on Gran Canaria, is moving toward oral trial, where the final determination of those involved in this serious crime will be made.
