The jury has declared the man guilty of the crimes of murder, arson and injury, accused of setting fire to the occupied house in which he resided with seven other people in Arrecife, causing the death of a woman.
The verdict, which was reached unanimously, was announced at 1:30 p.m. this Tuesday in Gran Canaria, where the trial has been held since March 2. Now, the Provincial Court must issue the sentence and establish the penalties. In the case of the Public Prosecutor's Office, after learning of the verdict, it has maintained the request for 25 years in prison for the accused.
The events took place at approximately 06:00 hours on January 11, 2017, in a house located at Calle Hermanos Zerolo number 3 and 5 in Arrecife, with entrance from Calle El Hierro. According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, Abdelaziz M., born in Morocco and 45 years old, emptied a gasoline can inside the house after arguing with another man who also lived there, knowing that the rest of the occupants were inside.
Six people were trapped inside the house, of which three were seriously injured. In the case of the woman, she suffered burns to 51% of her body and died on April 23 in the Major Burns Unit of the Virgen del Rosario Hospital in Seville, where she was transferred from the day of the events.
During the trial, the accused denied being the perpetrator of the fire and blamed a third person. However, the two police officers who arrested the accused testified how they saw Abdelaziz M. flee the scene and throw the lighter on the ground with which he allegedly set fire to the gasoline that was used to burn the house. In addition, the expert report of the scientific police certified that the accused's clothing was impregnated with gasoline.
The jury has also ruled against suspending the execution of the prison sentence imposed in the event that the requirements legally required for it are met, as well as the granting of a pardon.
