Only a few seconds passed. This was the duration of questioning for those accused in the Atrio robbery, Constantin Dumitru and Priscila Lara Guevara explicitly choosing the right not to testify. It was one of the most closely watched moments. The hearing began this Monday at the Cáceres Court after the parties had a preliminary discussion that ended without a settlement two weeks earlier.
On day one, the defendants and twenty witnesses were called, including hotel owners, staff, and National Police officers. The aim was to illuminate the case’s core questions, such as where the bottles were located. The staff and officers closed in on the defendants, who spoke only to declare their innocence before the Chamber.
The following day, in Dumitru and Lara Guevara’s absence, experts collected DNA samples. The testimonies from Monday offered evidence, such as at least two witnesses identifying the defendants (a national agent and a receptionist) and a collection of videos and calls that linked them to the crime scene.
As with the previous session, the defendants arrived at the courthouse after 9:15 p.m., escorted by National Police vans. Moments later, the rain-glossed, smiling lawyer of the defense, Sylvia Córdoba, appeared. In brief remarks to the media, she reaffirmed her clients’ innocence. Rafael Montes, counsel for Reale, the insurer that paid Atrio 700,000 euros — the wines on the menu valued at 1.6 million — declined to comment.
In the next room, more than twenty journalists, three of them from Britain. The Guardian correspondent in Madrid, Sam Jones, who had traveled to Cáceres to cover the trial, described the case as unusual and noted one stolen bottle was linked to an 1806 Chateau d’Yquem. Journalists shared seats with law students interning at the Extremadura Superior Court of Justice who wanted to monitor developments.
With punctilious timing, the session began, anticipated to be lengthy and intense yet full of unexpected turns. Department head Joaquín González Casso guided proceedings to minimize repetition during interrogations. At one point, he asked prosecutors to drop four witnesses to speed things up, a move agreed to by both sides.
The room later carried the hallmark sounds of a crowded courtroom. The testimony poured out in the morning hours, revealing tension as both defendants maintained innocence and declined to answer questions from the parties. Dumitru, who preferred to rely on his attorney, stated he had nothing to ask the lawyer. His appearance was so brisk that the judge paused briefly for witnesses to arrive. One of Atrio’s owners, José Polo, hurried into the Palace of Justice and chose not to explain his absence. The hotel’s partner and co-owner Toño Pérez excused his absence because he was attending Repsol Guide awards in Alicante.
Another Atrio employee and an officer who knew Dumitru and Lara Guevara as the alleged perpetrators provided key testimony. The receptionist on the night of the robbery was described as the individual with the most contact with the accused. He testified that morning he refused to meet their demands on three occasions but eventually conceded. He spoke about a self-made salad and a plate of cut fruit; he added that it was surprising they were still hungry after tasting menus.
The remaining staff, including owner José Polo, could not confirm whether the individuals seen that night were the two defendants. Polo asserted that the defendants were indeed present and identified them with the force of a prosecutor, who in turn confirmed the claim during Carmen Barquilla’s inquiry.
A crucial element of the day involved phone recordings and security footage. Police confirmed that devices seized matched those used by Dumitru and Lara Guevara on the night in question. One officer claimed that Lara Guevara called the defendant’s number in a video where the suspects appeared with the bottles.
All three conversations were deleted from the defendant’s phone: the first concerned the death of the defendant’s daughter, while the others discussed wine and the possibility of selling it in the United States or swapping it for a car because the bottles were hard to place.
The interviews reveal that by November 2021 the defendants were living in the Netherlands, seeking housing there. A high-cost flat in The Hague appears in a text message, despite claims of being unable to pay. One account showed 14,000 euros in an ING account. The phone was disabled during a flight from Barajas and reactivated in El Prat. After reviewing the passenger list, Dumitru’s name appeared, and conversations between him and his daughter and Priscila reflect interactions with each other. Extradition followed, during which fingerprints were released and matched to those of a man arrested in Portugal in 2008 under a false identity, identified as Dumitru.
Concha’s Mercedes and 107’s towels
During the hearing, witnesses continued detailing the night of the robbery. The alleged thieves stayed in room 107, had dinner, and retired to their room until about 2:30 a.m., requesting more food. Taking advantage of the quiet reception, the robbery occurred.
Police records indicate a red Mercedes used to travel from Madrid to Cáceres, with the vehicle’s owner residing on Ramón Gómez de la Serna Street. It appears the owner was headed to prison and the car was returned to his mother. Dumitru placed a call to his daughter to arrange handing over the keys to the mother of the car’s owner.
The cleaner was the last to report before the defense wrapped up. The cleaner entered the room and noticed towels had been stolen. A bathrobe lay unfolded, the bed unmade, and a few water bottles were found in the tub. He hurried to another room due to a busy schedule.
Only then did the owners realize the bottles were missing. Police arrived hours later and collected two fingerprints from beneath a television cabinet, along with DNA samples. Those tests are the ones slated for presentation on Wednesday, the day after the hearing.
The prosecutor seeks a four-and-a-half-year prison term and asks the insurer to cover the 700,000 euros paid to the owners for the stolen wines. The defense contends for acquittal.