A prominent ecclesiastical figure in Valencia was found murdered in the Archbishopric residence, located at 22 Avellanas Street in Valencia. The incident involved a man whom the cleric had welcomed into his home, apparently out of charity. According to statements from witnesses later questioned by the National Police, the man may have engaged in sexual activity in exchange for money, lodging, and meals. The cleric had previously lived in a different property on Gobernador Viejo Street before relocating to the area served by the Valencia diocese. Ten years after the first incident, a similar search for truth would connect the two sites, both less than about 300 meters apart.
Levante-EMV, citing information from the Prensa Ibérica group and other reliable sources, reported that the deceased was a Romanian national who had been living on the streets when he was taken into the cleric’s home. The man died in his bed after a heart-related event, amid ongoing concerns in the neighborhood about the cleric’s pattern of bringing in homeless men and youths without resources to his residence for reasons not clearly stated at the time.
The warning from the canon
That year, as Christmas approached and December neared, the incident took place. The priest, upon noticing the man had stopped breathing, alerted emergency services by dialing 112. The deceased was 57 years old. When the first responders reached the home around 10:30 p.m., they found him in a double bed, wearing only underwear, with no signs of life.
Clad in his clothes, the man’s belongings were found on a chair nearby. There were no documents with him at the scene. It would be the science police who would formally identify the body using fingerprints.
The initial responders included local police, national police, and a judicial commission. At the time, Alfonso López was not yet the canon of the Cathedral of Valencia; he had previously served the collegiate church of San Bartolomé Apóstol and San Miguel Arcángel since 1999. The authorities later identified the deceased as Florea B., aged 57, who had a sister living in a town north of Madrid.
No one asked how you were
There were statements indicating that the cleric had picked the man up from the street and sometimes hosted him for the night. Questions about the circumstances surrounding the heart attack were not immediately pursued. In testimony to the judicial commission, Florea claimed not to be feeling well and had taken pain relievers, though medical examination did not reveal a healing outcome.
The court ordered that the body be transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Valencia by 11:30 p.m., and an autopsy was performed the following day, December 19, 2013. The autopsy concluded that death resulted from cardiac tamponade following a heart attack, with no signs of foul play detected. The Homicide Unit did not intervene, and a civil investigation was subsequently filed on February 4 of the following year.
Charitable funeral
By that time, Florea had become an entrenched homeless individual, relying on social services and charitable organizations that assist people facing exclusion. His body was laid to rest in Valencia’s General Cemetery, in accordance with a judge’s directive prompted by the sister’s request and supported by the city council for a charitable burial.