A 43-year-old man held at Villanubla de Valladolid prison since last Tuesday is suspected in a brutal incident involving the death of his wife, mother-in-law, and another man who was found hanging in a cell, according to sources close to the case cited by Efe.
Witnesses described the man hanging himself with a sheet, and these same sources noted that the prisoner had recently been transferred from another facility where he had been convicted of different offenses.
Reports indicate he was an inmate under observation and housed in a solitary cell at the penitentiary.
Separately, prison officials told Efe that a different prisoner died at Valladolid prison on Wednesday afternoon, though their notification did not identify the deceased.
The same officials indicated an investigation had been opened to determine the circumstances, and the judicial authority was informed of the death.
Last Saturday afternoon, a 78-year-old woman and her 54-year-old daughter were found dead, one of them with stab wounds. A 72-year-old man was later discovered dead with a knife at a nearby residence after a fire at his home in Valladolid.
The husband of the 54-year-old woman, who was arrested on Saturday night, denied any involvement in the alleged acts during his testimony at the 4th Investigation Court the previous Tuesday.
Following his testimony, which lasted about an hour and a half, the Chief Public Prosecutor requested that he be placed in temporary prison without bail, a decision communicated to him.
After appearing before the judge, the coroner collected DNA samples from detainees as they left the courthouse in a Civil Guard van bound for Valladolid Provincial Prison.
The judge charged him with crimes against life including murder or homicide, arson, property damage, crimes against public health, violent robbery, and assault.
The 54-year-old woman was reported to have faced accusations of abusive behavior toward her husband, though no protective order had been issued.
The 72-year-old man found dead was stabbed, similarly to the partner of the detained suspect, and while some sources suggested drug problems as a possible factor, the exact cause remained unclear at that time.
Truths
At 4:25 p.m. on August 13, a call from the 112 Emergency Service directed the National Police Chamber to a fire in a house on Marqués de Santillana street in the La Rondilla neighborhood.
After firefighters extinguished the blaze, investigators found a burned male body in the home, with clear signs of fatal injury, including stab wounds.
Shortly after, at 4:30 p.m., a woman reported via cellphone that she did not know what had happened to her daughter, who was inside a burning house on Calle Linares.
When the fire was finally brought under control, authorities discovered two women inside the home, both dead from violent trauma; one showed signs of stabbing.
Later, around 11:00 p.m. on Góngora Street, not far from the earlier incidents, police detained a 43-year-old man on suspicion of attacking two elderly couples in an attempted home invasion.
The first attack occurred around 10:30 p.m. on Amor de Dios street, followed by a second on Gutiérrez de Cetina street at 10:50 p.m.
The most recent victim had to be taken to hospital due to injuries sustained in the assaults. Police investigations indicate the attacker’s goal was to break into the victims’ homes, a plan that ultimately failed.