Raúl Díaz, a Spanish engineer, was accused of killing, dismembering, and randomly killing his wife, a Paraguayan woman named Romina Celeste Núñez, at a barbecue.
This Monday, January 16, marks four years since he entered pretrial detention. But since in all this time the trial has not yet been held, he must be released before Monday, according to Spanish law. In other words, a convicted person cannot spend four years behind bars without a trial having been held.
Claudia Claros, a Bolivian journalist and founder of the “Todos Somos Romina” platform, who has been monitoring the case since the end of 2018, stated that they are upset and baffled by this situation.
“All the groups support us. Defense lawyer Emilia Zeballos is making a great effort, she has three days to file an appeal and follow up, ”said Claros, who is also a family friend.
Rubén Díaz confessed that he dismembered the body but not that he killed his wife. The case has dragged on for so many years because the alleged murderer has changed lawyers five times. Not counting the appeals for delay presented.
“It turns out that the Spanish justice system affirms that a possible murderer cannot be held in pretrial detention for four years. This gentleman has not been tried for that reason he is released only on the condition that he sign every Monday in any court in Spain. He can move nationally, from the Canary Islands to Madrid, Barcelona and more, but not leave the country, ”he explained.
CONTEXT
Romina Celeste, 29 years old and mother of two children, (unrelated to her last relationship with Spanish) was a victim of gender violence in 2019. Her husband, a 44-year-old industrial engineer, declared after being arrested that he returned home at night New Year’s Eve, after using drugs and found her dead. She freaked out and burned at least part of her body on a barbeque (grill).
The neighbors, frightened by the smoke and the stench, approached the house to which the subject explained, very calmly, that he was making a barbecue. A week later, due to pressure from his mother-in-law, he appeared before the Civil Guard to report the disappearance of his wife.
Only 48 hours before the crime, Romina went to the Lanzarote hospital with injuries. But before she was treated and the violence against women protocol was activated, her husband showed up at the health center and took her away.
The Prosecutor’s Office requests 20 years and two months in prison for six crimes; habitual mistreatment, gender violence, homicide, desecration of the corpse, simulation of the crime, among others.
Ruiz Díaz, assured a relative, that he considered Romina as “an inferior being”, since she was young, foreign and without resources who practiced prostitution to support herself financially, this was learned after the intervention of her cell phone by part of the civil Guard.
The defendant has two children, is divorced and met the victim at a club. After a brief courtship, he married her. Romina also had two children who lived in Paraguay, he wanted them to go live with her in Spain.
Since October, there has been a rapprochement between the lawyers in order not to go to trial in exchange for an agreement. That is to say, that the sentence has a substantial reduction in exchange for considerable compensation for Romina’s mother and children. But this could not advance due to the null collaboration of the Prosecutor’s Office.
At the risk that he could escape, the Prosecutor’s Office has asked the Court to impose a daily appearance on Raúl Díaz, the withdrawal of his passport and that he be prohibited from leaving the country until the trial is held.
Source: ABC.
