Javier R. E., detained on suspicion of killing and dismembering Santos Conrado, a 71-year-old neighbor from Langreo’s El Villar district in Asturias, claims he remembers nothing of the events and that he was heavily intoxicated. He made that assertion when detained last Saturday after part of the body was found in a garden near the home he shared with the victim in El Villar, Langreo.
All signs point to the crime taking place in the early hours of the prior Monday, March 18, with the alleged perpetrator allegedly dispersing body parts at several nearby locations over the past week, all close to the residence.
The detainee will appear before Langreo Court of First Instance and Instruction No. 2 on Tuesday. The police are pressing to complete the case within the 72 hours allotted to keep him in police custody before presenting him to the judge. The investigation team aims to tie up every loose end. The foremost goal is to recover all remains of the deceased. Between Friday and Saturday, the legs, torso, and head of Santos Conrado had already been recovered, and yesterday, following an intensive search, more remains were found.
Intense Search
At eleven in the morning on Monday a massive police operation began in El Villar. Officers from the Judicial Police, crime scene technicians, and canine units combed the area for the entire day. Investigators were looking for additional body parts of the victim, which could have been scattered around the area near 30 Joaquín Costa Street where the accused, aged 58, lived as a lodger in one of several rooms of the building that housed Santos Conrado.
Viena, the police dog, was present at the garden where the first remains, the legs, were located last Friday. She also searched adjacent properties. The police asked Langreo’s City Council to clear three parcels to facilitate inspections. Municipal workers cooperated with the officers to clear vegetation and access points. At the same time, a drone flew close to the ground, attempting to uncover further evidence. More than a dozen officers combed through the whole neighborhood, focusing on the area around the suspected residence. They also concentrated on the site where a cart and a bag containing remains were found on Friday night. As the day progressed, investigators expanded the search radius, reaching the Urquijo district across the Gijón-Laviana railway line and the nearby plots of land.
Lineup and Reconnaissance
This ongoing search is not the only police activity that Monday in the area. A group of agents went door to door through Villar, inviting neighbors living closest to the house to attend a lineup on April 1. The aim is to have as many neighbors and potential witnesses identify the suspected author of the brutal crime. Three residents who share a wall with the alleged crime scene were specifically contacted about attending the event.
The investigators want to have every detail clear before Javier R. E. appears before the judge. On Sunday morning the team conducted a reconstruction at the home to piece together what happened roughly a week earlier, believed to be the night between Sunday, April 17, and Monday, April 18. The police say Javier R. E. has long struggled with drug problems and limited mobility, relying on crutches, which contributed to the complexity of the case. Santos Conrado, aged 71, was also associated with the drug world and the drug trade and required an oxygen machine to move comfortably. The process of dismembering the body may have extended over several days, during which the suspect allegedly dispersed the remains across different locations in the neighborhood. The suspect showed limited cooperation with the police during the reconstruction, arguing with some officers and staying silent on others. In response, the police intensified the search that day, seeking to recover as many body parts as possible.
Neighbors reported seeing the suspected killer repeatedly carrying trash bags through the district. They also noticed a cart similar to those used by beverage distributors near the garages. When asked about Santos Conrado, the suspect initially told residents he was at the HUCA hospital, then claimed he was in jail, and finally asserted that he had been kidnapped by “the Russians.” All of these statements proved false. The victim was confirmed deceased.