|
When
the Prosecutor's office gets
all the documents of the case,
the accusation will be
presented to the Criminal
Court where the parties will
be on a preliminary
hearing. / A.M.
Costa Rica wire services photo.
|
Prosecutor's
office concludes accusation against
suspects of the homicide of a
Mexican tourist
and the sexual attack of a British
tourist
By the A.M. Costa Rica
staff
The Prosecutor's Office of Cóbano* in
the province of Puntarenas,
announced it has completed the
accusation process against two
men, surnamed Esquivel-Cerdas and
Sancho-Rodríguez. The men are
accused of the murder of a Mexican
woman surnamed Matus-Tenorio, and
for the sexual abuse of a British
woman surnamed Moorehouse.
According to the Public Ministry,
the judge ordered the extension of
the pre-trial prison period for
four additional months for both
suspects.
"The Prosecutor's Office will
inform the victim's families of
the accusatory piece (referring to
the information of the case),"
said the Prosecutor's office in
its report.
From the moment they know about
the process, they have three
business days to respond. They are
able to file a private accusation,
and/or they can opt to take civil
action to claim compensation for
the damages suffered.
If family members decide to file a
complaint or civil action, they
will have an additional ten days
to file the claim.
When the Prosecutor's office gets
all the documents of the case, the
accusation will be presented to
the Criminal Court of Cóbano,
in the province of Puntarenas,
where the parties will be on a
preliminary hearing.
After that, the criminal court of
Puntarenas will order a date for
the start of the trial.
According to the case presented by
the prosecutor, the events
occurred on August 5th, 2018, at
3:00 a.m., near a bar located in Carmen Beach*
in Puntarenas.
That day the victims were
intercepted by the suspects, who,
according to the accusation,
sexually abused them.
One of the women survived the
attack and managed to flee the
place to ask for help. However,
when she came back with help, they
found the other victim lifeless at
the edge of the beach.
Hours later, one of the suspects
surnamed Esquivel was captured
near the place where the victim's
body was found.
Four days later, the Prosecutor's
office obtained evidence related
to the second man surnamed named
Sancho, that linked him to the
homicide, for which he was
arrested.
"At the request of the Office of
the Prosecutor of Cóbano,
Sancho had been treated by the
Legal Medical Unit in Puntarenas,
where he was analyzed for some
injuries to his body," said
Prosecutor in its statement. "In
addition, a physical test was
completed, (referring to the
identification of the suspect)
which resulted in a positive ID by
two witnesses."
The case corresponds to cause
18-000344-832-PE.
---------------------------------------
Should the Prosecutor's office
speed up the pre-trial process due
to the severity of the accusations
in the case? We would
like to know your thoughts on this
story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com
|
|
|
