The report from yesterday by the Prensa Ibérica group, focusing on Valencia’s Levante-EMV, outlines statements from a lawyer connected to the Sueca Court of Justice Administration, Jorge Carbó, who represents the only person detained in the case, along with three other individuals. The proceedings began at 11:00 when relatives of the victims gathered, continuing through until 14:00.
The incident involved a locksmith who had to break the entrance door of the apartment with a radial saw because none of the numerous keys seized by police during two searches of the priest of Avellanas’s residence were usable. The street where the priest was killed is the responsibility of the Archdiocese and is part of the building complex where the apartment is located.
Traces and biological remains
Once a clear access path was established, investigators concentrated on collecting fingerprints and biological traces that could link suspects to the scene. This focus prompted the Investigative Judge No. 19 of Valencia, who presides over the case, to authorize searches of the apartment to confirm the presence of the person detained for the crime, a 40-year-old man identified as Miguel VN, who lived on the street and faced economic hardship.
According to one relative of the priest, the Romanian man in question served as a kind of bodyguard and personal assistant, and he reportedly accompanied the priest, Canon, for a brief stay at Perelló’s house for three days last August, five months before the murder, a detail previously reported by the press.
From the accounts given to police, protection since that time had been provided by the priest, and Miguel VN had not been seen again on Avellanas Street or in the apartment.
Extraordinarily clean
Despite this, investigators continued to consider the possibility that the suspect had been at the beach recently, so they collected DNA samples from all items that might contain biological material. This cautious approach underscores the effort to uncover any trace evidence that could prove crucial to the case.
The apartment, according to reports, appeared extraordinarily clean with minimal physical traces. It is noted that since January 18 no one was believed to have entered the apartment again. Records indicate that personnel were present that day, as well as the day before, including the priest and the protective party.
The apartment where the disabled child was to be taken
Witness statements described that investigators were told the priest planned to take a disabled young man there for a weekend, from the 19th to the 21st, with the man hired from his home city 700 kilometers away to accompany him for the weekend, including sexual activity. The hired assistant reportedly refused to serve as driver, and the arrangement required that he consent to the sexual encounter in Avellanas’s apartment just hours before the murder.
Check protection version
The police also requested the review of the assistant’s account to corroborate his and the priest’s presence on the floor immediately prior to the crime.
Finally, after the review, officers removed the router for examination to determine which devices connected to the wireless network. However, Alfonso López’s computer, located in the apartment, was not taken, raising questions about additional lines of inquiry that were not sealed before or after the police analysis: where the priest kept his keys?