Three suspects have been arrested over the killing of a Swedish expat in Torrevieja, with a fourth wanted by police.
Christian Pikulak, 30, was attacked in the seaside town on the Costa Blanca on October 3, when he tried to stop a gang stealing his phone.
The burger restaurant owner was dragged along the ground by their car and suffered severe head injuries. He was placed into a coma at hospital and died four days later on October 7.
Little over a month later, the Guardia Civil this week identified the four alleged perpetrators of the attack.
They are all Spanish nationals of Moroccan origin and are aged in their early 20s.
Three were arrested in Alicante, and authorities are searching for at least one more person who has been identified and may have fled abroad, according to sources close to the case.
The detainees, two of whom have previous convictions for robbery and one for unlawful entry, appeared before a judge in Alicante on Thursday.
They are accused of homicide, robbery with violence, failing to assist the victim, dangerous driving and belonging to a criminal group.
Prosecutors requested prison for two of the detainees, which was upheld by the duty judge. The third, who handed himself in to the Guardia Civil after the first arrests, has been released on provisional liberty without precautionary measures.
According to the High Court of Justice, all three remain under the authority of Torrevieja’s Court of Instruction No. 4, which is directing the investigation.
The case began with the violent street robbery at around 4am on October 3 on Calle Pedro Lorca.
Christian and his partner Vivienne were reportedly approached by a car carrying three or four individuals described as of Arab origin.
They asked for directions to La Zenia, claiming they had no internet. When Christian began explaining, they requested to see his phone ‘to check the map’ and ‘take a photo’.
As he leaned in through the rear window with his iPhone in hand, the car suddenly accelerated. Christian, holding onto the phone and the window frame, was dragged roughly 30 metres until the attackers deliberately rammed the vehicle sideways into rubbish bins, apparently to make him let go.
He was thrown onto the road, suffering catastrophic injuries, while his partner tried desperately to help him.
He was taken first to Torrevieja Hospital and then transferred to Elche due to the seriousness of his head trauma. He died on October 7.
Vivienne provided key information to police, telling officers that the stolen iPhone’s location data placed it in two streets in the Zona Norte of Alicante area shortly after the attack.
One suspect, a 22-year-old who has not yet been detained, reportedly inserted his own SIM card into Christian’s stolen phone.
Although officers initially had no number plate, they managed to identify the car, which had been rented hours before the robbery. Forensic checks revealed several fingerprints inside the vehicle, including those of the missing suspect and another detainee.
That detainee insists he did not take part in the robbery but admits he was inside the car with the others at a park in Sant Joan d’Alacant. He has handed his mobile phone to the court so that Guardia Civil analysts can verify his movements.
The investigation remains open.
