A popular jury of the Provincial Court of Madrid has found David Arellano guilty of murder for the death of his wife in May 2017 in Collado Villalba, although it exonerates him of the sexual assault of which he had been accused by not giving up. This crime has been proven, legal sources have reported.
The trial against the accused was heard last Friday for sentencing with the final reports of the parties and the silence of the defendant, who chose not to make use of his right to the last word. Prosecutor Victoria Bonilla asked the jury to do justice for the victim, Valentina.
This is the second time that a popular jury has found David guilty. The first guilty verdict was annulled due to voting irregularities and the Superior Court of Justice of Madrid (TSJM) ordered a repeat trial.
David was facing a prosecutor's request for permanent, reviewable prison, while his defense requested free acquittal by maintaining that the perpetrator of the crime is another person based on the DNA that was found on the pieces of the adhesive tape with which he tied himself. the feet of the deceased.
The events in question occurred around two in the morning on May 27, 2017 when the accused and his wife returned from a dinner with friends. According to the prosecutor, the man raped, beat and suffocated the victim to prevent her from reporting him.
The prosecutor stated in her report that David suffocated Valentina with a towel or a pillow and then finished her off with a plastic bag, since the experts stated that she was alive when said object was placed on her head.
In the investigation, it is stated that the victim reported her husband to the Civil Guard and that she then stated that she threatened him that he would find out. The woman withdrew the complaint days later after David returned to the family home after an argument.
David maintains that around twelve in the morning on the day of the events, Valentina's lifeless body was found gagged and with a bag over her head upon returning from a motorcycle outing, pointing to a possible robbery as the motive for the crime.
