A dozen DNA samples were analyzed, and none contained the genetic profile of Miguel V. N., the only person detained and charged in the murder of Alfonso López Benito, the emeritus canon of Valencia Cathedral. López Benito was found dead, suffocated, dressed only in underpants, in his bed on the diocesan floor at Valencia’s archbishopric, on Avellanas Street number 22, in the heart of the city, on the morning of January 23 of this year. Despite the large number of samples, the Valencia Police Scientific Team’s DNA laboratory did not find any biological trace linking the sole suspect to the crime scene.
In contrast, two genetic profiles were isolated, each from different unknown men. One profile appeared at a crucial location: the edge of the pillowcase on the only bed where the victim lay almost bare, his head resting on the fabric and covered to the chest by a sheet. In brief, this could be a highly incriminating DNA clue.
That unknown male’s profile was found mixed with the profile of the canon and with the young man who had traveled from Extremadura for money to sustain what the National Police described in its initial report as a small sexual encounter. The fact that all three profiles were mixed might reflect how traces were collected or that the priest had not changed the bed linens for some time. Investigators noted stains on the lower sheet and other areas not related to the homicide, from which no relevant data emerged for the case.
That is not the only biological residue left by this man at the archbishop’s residence on Avellanas Street. Crime scene specialists uncovered DNA from that man at another spot: a minuscule one-millimeter bloodstain on the lower sheet of the same bed. This trace aligns with the sexual encounter with the priest the night before the murder and would not be incriminating on its own. It would have been incriminating if this genetic profile appeared mixed with the victim’s DNA at a far more sensitive point, such as the priest’s mouth, face, or neck, since the death occurred by asphyxiation when the nose and mouth were covered until death.
The young man is largely ruled out as a suspect from the outset. Police homicide investigators corroborated that he told the truth when he said he left the canon’s apartment early Sunday morning, the priest heading to mass. He does not face consequences for prior violent robbery offenses from thirteen years earlier, as the motive for López’s murder was judged to be robbery by investigators.
The DNA profile of the other individual found in the residence has become known as the priest’s “assistant.” This person likely acted as driver or bodyguard for López, the priest sensing or fearing that vulnerable street men whom he hosted in exchange for money, meals, or shelter might present problems. The assistant’s trust with the priest was such that the man had his own toothbrush in the secondary bathroom, which he lent to visitors who stayed with him. The police forensic team isolated DNA from that toothbrush.
A second, similar profile of an unknown man was detected on a separate toothbrush, a cheaper model. Like the mix found on the pillowcase, authorities have not been able to identify the owner of this DNA profile because its marker data was never entered into the national database, which stores only the genetic profiles of people detained for serious crimes, deceased individuals, or missing persons.