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Published
Friday, May 8, 2020
Man faces 50 years in
jail for murdering two elderly U.S. citizensBy the A.M. Costa Rica staff A man surnamed Martínez- Largaespalda, 35, was orderd to 50 years in jail after being found guilty of the murder of two elderly U.S. citizens. The criminal was sentenced by a judge of the Quepos Criminal Court in Puntarenas Province on Thursday. The judge originally sentenced Martinez to 75 years, but Costa Rican law does not allow a person to spend more than 50 years in jail. The final sentence was reduced to the maximum time allowed. According to information provided by the Prosecutor Office, the murders occurred in 2010 in a condo located in Jacó Beach, Puntarenas Province. The property belonged to a married older Cuban couple. The wife, 71, and the husband, 76, had become U.S. citizens and were actively living in Costa Rica. In September 2010, while the couple was in the process of selling their condo, a man called and booked an appointment to see the place. The woman agreed to the visit. The unidentified man along with two other men, one of them Martínez, arrived at the victims' house under the pretext of being interested in buying the condo. The three men stole jewelry, cash, cell phones, and computers. “After the robbery, the three men "gagged the two elders, tied their hands and feet, covered their mouths, and put a bag over their heads, killing both of them by asphyxiation," said the Prosecutor in its statement. The investigation was carried out for several years, despite having no eyewitnesses, but had a fingerprint of one of the suspects as the only material clue. In May 2019, Martinez was arrested for a domestic violence dispute and his fingerprints were taken. Investigators managed to discover that his fingerprints coincided with the one that had been found in the U.S. citizen's crime scene. Later, the agents reviewed other evidence that confirmed a link between Martinez and the other man, who has not been detained but had been identified as one of the alleged killers. Those new clues allowed Martinez's arrest in May 2019 and his 50-year prison sentence. According to the Prosecutor, Martinez has been in pre-trial prison since he was arrested in 2019. The caller has not yet been found by the police. ---------------- Have you heard of unsolved cases of crimes against foreigners? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com Want to read more?
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