Few crimes arouse as much interest and curiosity as those that are perpetrated as a result of a love triangle. The ‘murder of the undertaker’ – which shocked Murcia in 2007 –; the homicide in the Valencian town of Patraix or the media ‘crime of the urban guard’ – which has recently risen to fame through the series ‘The Burning Body’, on Netflix – are well-known examples of these tense romantic relationships three bands that end in the worst of ways. Cartagena will witness, starting this Monday, the trial for one of the most atrocious deaths that the Region has witnessed in recent years and which also has as its background a history of jealousy and confinement: the crime of the Cartagena council. from La Puebla.
The bench of the Fifth Section of the Provincial Court will have two protagonists these days. One of them will be Natalia MR, a young resident of Torre Pacheco who has accumulated several lives in her barely 20 years. The other, Agustín MA, a 27-year-old resident of Cartagena, with whom Natalia had been dating. Both are accused of running over and burning alive Juan Manuel Rodríguez, 34 years old and ex-partner of the alleged murderer.
On the shoulders of nine women and men, members of a popular jury, these days will fall the responsibility of diving into this brutal attack, which was uncovered in the early morning of August 23, 2021, when the body of Juan Manuel was found charred in the back seat of a car, on a terrace in the Cartagena district of La Puebla. The deceased had maintained a romantic relationship with Natalia that ended five or six months before the fateful outcome, although, apparently, they continued to see each other from time to time.
Juan Manuel RodríguezAntonio Casado MenaThe autopsy confirmed that the victim was still alive when they allegedly set fire to the car
Meanwhile, the young woman, who at that time had barely reached the age of majority, had become engaged to the other accused, Agustín, with whom she lived, according to the prosecutor, despite the fact that a restraining order had been imposed on him. following a recent conviction for ill-treatment against her.
On the night of August 22, both were together with Natalia’s family in La Puebla. Around one in the morning, the young woman left for Juan Manuel’s house and they both drove in his Hyundai Tucson to a rural area known as Los Maínes, in that district. At 2:39 a.m., the prosecutor explains in his provisional conclusions document, to which LA VERDAD has had access, Natalia grabbed Juan Manuel’s phone and made a call that would change everything: she informed Agustín that she was with her ex-boyfriend, with who apparently had a terrible relationship.
One call changed everything
After that call the night became a little darker. Agustín quickly approached the farm on his bicycle – his usual method of transportation – and began an argument with his opponent in which he allegedly punched her several times and even hit her head with a wrench. After this first attack, Juan Manuel was wounded and bleeding and asked to be taken to a hospital, with the three of them getting into his car. The prosecutor maintains that Natalia was driving, despite not having a license, and that the young woman stopped on a dirt road parallel to the RM-F14 highway, which connects El Jimenado and Torre Pacheco.
The Prosecutor’s Office demands 79 years in prison for the two accused for crimes of murder, illegal detention and damage due to fire
In that secluded enclave, the three got out of the car again and, supposedly, a second act took place: a new argument in which Agustín attacked Juan Manuel again, hitting him on the head again. Faced with this new attack, the victim fled on foot and, at that moment, the prosecutor maintains, Agustín and Natalia got into the car and, “with the idea of ending his life or assuming the possibility that this would happen,” They decided to run over Juan Manuel. The young woman then allegedly drove the car at him, crushing him against a fence in the area. The Public Ministry emphasizes, at this point, that the victim “did not have the opportunity to defend himself.”
After the collision, the couple got out of the car, approached Juan Manuel and he begged them to take him to a doctor. They both supposedly put him in his car, but, “knowing Juan Manuel’s seriousness, they decided not to take him to the hospital.” They stopped the car in a nearby orchard and, the prosecutor maintains, “they decided to leave Juan Manuel, still alive, inside the car, with the doors closed, and set it on fire.” The autopsy confirmed that the victim inhaled carbon monoxide, indicating that he was still alive when the car was allegedly set on fire.
The Prosecutor’s Office accuses Agustín and Natalia of alleged crimes of murder, illegal detention and damage by fire for which they demand 34 years in prison for each one. He also faces a year in prison for a crime of violating a sentence and she faces a fine for driving without permission. The Public Ministry demands that they compensate the deceased’s 11-year-old daughter, mother and other relatives of more than 400,000 euros.
“Contempt for dignity”
The victim’s mother and brothers, who are prosecuting the private prosecution in this case through lawyers Juan Antonio Martínez Miñarro and José María Martínez Belmonte, consider that the two accused acted “with total contempt for the slightest consideration for dignity.” human.”
The document that this party has put on the table has many similarities with that of the Prosecutor’s Office, but adds one more crime: that of desecration of a corpse. The private prosecution claims that, in addition to 34 years in prison for murder, illegal detention and damages, the couple serve an additional five months in prison for desecrating Juan Manuel’s body. It also requests that they be sentenced to a fine for omission of the duty to provide assistance.
Natalia’s defense will allege that the young woman was a victim of abuse
Throughout the trial that begins tomorrow, Natalia’s defense lawyer, Antonio Casado Mena, will defend his client’s innocence tooth and nail. “Our purpose will be to prove, beyond all reasonable doubt, that not only is Mrs. Natalia not the author of any crime, but that, on the contrary, she has been the victim of a succession of crimes that have even resulted in her now suffering.” a prison sentence that he does not deserve,” emphasizes the lawyer. “We will present sufficient evidence that will demonstrate without a doubt that she was not the person who killed Juanmi.” This party will try to demonstrate to the jury, in addition and throughout the hearing, that the young woman had been a victim of mistreatment by Agustín, the other accused, and that this led her to feel an “intense fear” that conditioned her behavior. her. “We will present supporting evidence of this and we hope to lead the jury to the conviction that Natalia is absolutely innocent.”
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