The five defendants accused of beating Juan Carlos Tejera to death in March 2015 in Lanzarote and the woman prosecuted as an accomplice have denied this Monday before the Provincial Court of Las Palmas any connection with that crime, although the Prosecutor's Office and the private prosecution in the case have maintained the charges of murder with malice aforethought against them.
In the sixth session of the Jury trial held in the City of Justice of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the six defendants have testified and, at the end, the Public Prosecutor and the lawyer representing the family and the victim's partner, África Zabala, have raised their classification of murder to definitive, which the private prosecution adds that it occurs in real concurrence with the crime of illegal detention, while the defenses have remained in demanding acquittal.
The prosecutor attributes to the defendants José Carlos C.H., Néstor David P.P., Angelo D.D., Juan Antonio D.R., Antonio Enrique G.G. and Tania R.R. the crime of murder with malice aforethought, although she considers the woman an accomplice, and asks for a sentence of 25 years for the four defendants and 14 years in prison for Tania R.R.
The defendants have denied having ended the life of Juan Carlos T.A., whom most have said they met when the discovery of his corpse appeared on television and in the press in the Argana dump. Even a cousin of the victim, Antonio Enrique G.G., has explained that he knew they were family when they met in the Tahíche prison.
According to this defendant, they were in different modules and there was talk of Juan Carlos Tejera because he was in prison for drug trafficking, but he said that he never spoke about his cousin with the other defendants nor did he tell them that it was rumored that he could have money.
The mobile phone antennas place the six defendants in the house where the deceased lived and in the area of the cave where the corpse was found, but they have all stated that they were in those surroundings but not in the places related to the crime.
The palm print was located on one of the defendants, in the case of Néstor David P.P., who only explains that it appears in the vehicle because of his habit of leaning on cars when he goes out for drinks and drinks, as he has stated to the court.
Antonio Enrique G.G. has denied that he was in charge of watching Juan Carlos T.A.'s house, because, according to his version, in March 2015, he worked in construction, in Playa Blanca, and did not return to his house, in Arrecife, until 7:00 p.m., and also the night the events occurred, from March 12 to 13, he claims that he was celebrating several birthdays, stating that he "has photos to prove it".
He has indicated that he was involved in a police investigation for a robbery in the south of Tenerife along with other defendants, but he and Angelo D.D. were acquitted and he has admitted that he had problems with the Justice, but that since 2002 he has not had them again.
"I never imagined in my life that I would be accused of something like that, I have never done anything to anyone", he stated.
The defendant Angelo D.D. has also denied having installed a GPS in the victim's car to track his movements and has explained that he bought that device to put it in his wife's car because he suspected she had a lover and that is why he traveled with his partner's vehicle to Lanzarote to install it.
He said that he asked Tania R.R., with whom he had a romantic relationship, to contact a computer friend to repair it, a version that has been corroborated by the defendant, who has been the only one who has refused to answer the prosecution's questions and has only answered those asked by her lawyer and by the Jury.
Angelo D.D. has explained to the court that he resided in Tenerife and that in March 2015 he went to Lanzarote on vacation and to visit his father and grandmother, a week after the also defendants José Carlos C.H. and Néstor David P.P. moved, whom he knew and with whom he was going to meet for a few days on the aforementioned island.
On the night of March 12 to 13, he was at his grandmother's house, where his father also lived, because he took advantage of the holidays to repair the house, and that day he finished work late, consumed cocaine and stayed until dawn in the house, along with other defendants, he said.
He has also explained to the court that his father, the also defendant Juan Antonio D.R., received his two friends when they arrived in Lanzarote, and that he helped them find a rental house in Arrieta.
The defendant José Carlos C.H. has stated that he traveled to Lanzarote because his partner was making his life impossible and has stated that he is convinced that protected witness number 1 in the case is her, because she has already denounced him on many other occasions.
He has denied hitting Juan Carlos Tejera and, according to him, he cannot find an explanation for why his mobile phone is located near the deceased's house and in the Argana cave area; despite the fact that he exchanged 17 calls with three of the defendants, as detailed by the private prosecution.
Juan Antonio D.R., Angelo D.D.'s father, has stated that he knows the Argana Alta dump well because he was a builder and they threw the remains of the works there, but he has assured that he has not passed by there "for 20 years" and that his mobile phone was located in the area because he was traveling on the bus, so he does not understand the reason for his indictment in the crime either.
The accusations and the defenses will present their conclusions to the jury court this Tuesday, which, once it has the object of the verdict, will begin to deliberate on the guilt or innocence of the accused.
