"I apologize to Miguel, because I never wanted to take his life." These were the words of Carlos Javier Rosales, during the trial held this Wednesday before the Provincial Court of Las Palmas, which had to be suspended a few minutes after its start due to the absence of a witness.
Carlos Javier Rosales is accused of a crime of attempted homicide, after having stabbed an acquaintance with a sharp object "at heart level", for a debt of 12 euros, over a drug issue. The Public Prosecutor's Office requests a sentence of 8 years in prison, while the private prosecution requests 10 years in prison. For its part, the defense considers that it is a crime of injury and also requests that it be taken as a mitigating factor that Carlos Javier Rosales was "under the influence of drugs".
The defendant stated that at about 5 in the morning on February 2, 2010, he left the boarding house where he was staying and went to Cuatro Esquinas "in search of drugs." Carlos Javier Rosales stated that "he was high" and acknowledged that he was carrying a screwdriver, but assured that it was "to protect himself" from the danger of the area and also to defend himself from a specific man, who "is dedicated to stealing" and who "that day was there causing a scandal".
According to his testimony, it was in Cuatro Esquinas when he met Miguel, who demanded a debt of 12 euros, although, according to what he stated, Miguel was already hours before in the boarding house where he was staying asking for the money. "Miguel told me when I was going to pay him and I told him that I had no money, that I had just left home, that I had a two-year-old girl and a wife, but it was only 12 euros and Miguel was a calm boy," he said.
"I just wanted him to get out of the way"
However, Carlos Javier Rosales assured that when he met him in the early morning, Miguel pushed him and that he then took out the screwdriver "so that he would get out of the way." "I didn't want to end his life or hurt him," the accused assured the court, who claims that Miguel "lunged" at him, causing the screwdriver to get stuck in him. "I felt a prick and I was petrified. I hid and saw that the ambulance and the police came," declared the defendant who hours later went to turn himself in "to the police."
These were the statements of Carlos Javier Rosales during the trial that had to be suspended minutes after its start. And it is that two witnesses were missing, one of whom was considered fundamental by the Public Prosecutor's Office for the case. The accused and the lawyer stated before the judge that this witness had apparently died, before which it was decided to stop the trial for a few minutes to check if it was true in the Civil Registry. After verifying that the death of this person was not recorded, it was decided to suspend the trial until this witness was located.
Carlos Javier Rosales has been in pre-trial detention since the day the events occurred.
