A Marbella murder trial has been postponed after one of three defendants failed to appear in court and police were unable to locate him.
The missing accused is the same man whose gunshot injuries forced an earlier postponement in April.
The jury trial at Malaga’s Provincial Court was due to begin on Monday, October 19, over a fatal shooting and an alleged attempted murder in Marbella in November 2019.
His absence initially delayed proceedings until Tuesday. However, police checks at addresses he had previously supplied to the court failed to establish his whereabouts, prompting the suspension of this week’s hearing.
According to judicial sources cited by Europa Press, the defendant was required to report to the court in Pizarra on the first and 15th of every month.
He had complied until October 15, when he missed his scheduled appearance, days before the trial was due to open.
Pizarra was also where he suffered the gunshot injuries in April. The proceedings had previously been delayed because of a lawyer’s scheduling conflict.
Prosecutors allege the three defendants participated in a plan to kill two men.
According to the prosecution’s account, two defendants travelled in a vehicle with the victims to a home belonging to one of those involved.
Inside, one defendant allegedly shot a victim in the chest with a revolver. The bullet entered below his collarbone and exited through his back, killing him.
A second defendant allegedly shot the other man three times, hitting his shoulder, leg and abdomen.
The survivor required treatment and rehabilitation at several hospitals, with his injuries taking 336 days to heal.
Prosecutors allege the third defendant helped plan the attack, meeting the others and the victims beforehand, then meeting the alleged gunmen again immediately after the shooting.
All three face accusations of murder, attempted murder and membership of an armed criminal group. Two also face an allegation of unlawful firearms possession.
The prosecution is seeking 37 years in prison for one defendant and 38-and-a-half years each for the other two.
It is also requesting €200,000 in compensation for the dead man’s heirs and a further €125,280 for the surviving victim’s injuries and lasting harm.
No replacement trial date was given in the report.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
