The trial for the death of Araceli A.F., who died after being stabbed in her home in Titerroy in February 2014, came to an end this Wednesday, after three days of oral hearing before the Provincial Court of Las Palmas and with a popular jury. Now, that jury has begun its deliberation to issue its verdict. In its indictment, the Prosecutor's Office was asking for 11 years in prison for Cesáreo García Fernández, who is currently 68 years old, as the perpetrator of a crime of homicide, although with the mitigating circumstance of passion. In addition, it demands that he compensate the victim's children with 120,000 euros.
For its part, the defense requested his acquittal during the trial, alleging that he acted in self-defense and with an "insurmountable fear", according to the newspaper La Provincia. And the victim had previously attacked the accused from behind, with the same knife with which he later took her life. However, although the Public Prosecutor agrees with that account of the events, it considers that Cesáreo's subsequent aggression was by no means "proportionate".
In fact, he emphasizes that Cesáreo had already managed to "snatch the knife" from Araceli and the struggle had ceased when he stabbed her. "He did not sufficiently control his impulses due to the fury derived from the intensity of the situation," the indictment stated, which contemplates passion as a mitigating factor, but does not consider that he acted in self-defense, since his life was not in danger. In addition, the Prosecutor's Office emphasized during the trial the statement made by the accused after his arrest, when he admitted that he had stabbed the victim "with a lot of rage". In the hearing, however, Cesáreo García changed his testimony, attributing his actions to an instinct to defend himself.
"Passionate motives"
For his part, according to La Provincia, prosecutor Ignacio Stampa linked the homicide to "passionate motives", since there was not only a friendship between the victim and the accused, but also a sexual relationship. As the investigation revealed, Araceli had worked for a time as the accused's caregiver, but later they began to have a personal relationship.
The victim, a native of Cuba, was 55 years old when the events occurred. In its indictment, the Prosecutor's Office explains that Cesáreo, who resided in Tenerife, had traveled to Lanzarote that day precisely to meet her. Araceli and her son even went to pick him up at the airport, shortly before 11 in the morning. Afterwards, they had something to drink - in Cesáreo's case, a gin and tonic - in a bar near her home, located on Navarra Street, and finally went up to the house.
There, according to the prosecutor's account, a "discussion began between them" and she ended up attacking him by surprise, attacking him with a knife in the back. Afterwards, a struggle began between them until Cesáreo managed to "snatch the knife". And that was when he stabbed her in the upper part of the chest, according to the prosecutor, "with the intention of causing her death or knowing that he could cause it". Araceli then tried to leave the house and ask for help, but ended up dying next to the door, on the landing, where a neighbor found her shortly afterwards, who was the one who raised the alarm.
By then, Cesáreo had already left the house. According to the prosecutor, after the aggression he collected his belongings and left. And the first thing he did was enter a nearby bar, where he had another gin and tonic. Then, he went to the airport, with the intention of returning to Tenerife. However, there he was arrested by agents of the National Police, when he was about to enter the airport terminal.
The agents found Cesáreo stained with blood and with the knife wound in his back, so the first thing they did was take him to the hospital, where he only required three stitches. Afterwards, after being brought to justice, he was sent to provisional prison, where he has remained awaiting this trial that has just concluded and that is already awaiting a verdict.
