The Valencia Children’s Court has convicted a 15-year-old boy of murder for the Christmas Day 2019 killing in Carlet, where a man was struck in the head with a wooden log following a confrontation. The teen admitted the facts and pleaded guilty at a consent hearing held this week. He received a sentence of two years in a closed regime with an additional two years of probation.
The incident occurred in the early hours of December 25, 2019 in the Villaverde de Carlet neighborhood. The boy was at home with his parents, his six-year-old brother, and four friends. While the father stepped outside for some fresh air, José Manuel Lloria, a 49-year-old neighbor with a history of neighborhood disturbances, arrived at the scene and began shouting after an earlier afternoon of incidents that had required police intervention.
Witnesses said the neighbor carried a knife. He raised his voice and alarms were raised among the household members who emerged to respond. According to the proven facts, the minor began throwing stones at José Manuel to deter his behavior. A struggle ensued between the boy’s father and the neighbor, who was joined by the boy, who entered the house, grabbed a chair, and hurled it at the opponent. During the melee, a blow caused the father to suffer a severe eye injury.
Feeling anger at seeing his father blinded on one side, the boy grabbed a six-meter wooden log and struck José Manuel in the head. The force of the impact left the victim on the ground, unable to defend himself.
treachery
After the victim had fallen, still exposed, the assailant continued striking him in the head until a friend intervened to restrain him. The teen fell on top of the victim and blood stained his clothing. The ruling also notes that the teen entered his home afterward, changed clothes, and burned the bloody garments in a bonfire to destroy potential evidence.
The father, initially believed to be the perpetrator, was briefly detained by Civil Guard investigators. Days later the teen confessed responsibility for the neighbor’s death, and subsequent investigation showed the blows were delivered by the boy, not the father. The autopsy described the injuries as serious craniofacial trauma.
The Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office had requested a five-year sentence, but a settlement between the parties resulted in a sentence of two years in a closed regime and two years of supervised release. Civil liability of 30,000 euros was noted, with the claim to be settled separately.
In this case, the court addressed questions of youth accountability and the appropriate penalties for violent homicide, emphasizing the need to balance rehabilitation with public safety. The proceedings illustrate how early behavioral concerns, family dynamics, and neighborhood tensions can converge in a fatal event, and how courts assess responsibility when a minor is involved in such a serious crime [Citation: Valencia Juvenile Court records].