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Pilar de la Horadada murder probe after man allegedly killed friend and dumped his body
The suspect allegedly tried to make the killing look like a hit-and-run after a violent argument at his Costa Blanca home
A 53-year-old man has been arrested in Pilar de la Horadada after allegedly beating a friend to death with a wooden stick and hiding the body near the AP-7 motorway.
According to the Guardia Civil, the suspect, a Moroccan national, is accused of killing a 31-year-old Moroccan man following a heated argument at his home before attempting to stage the death as a road accident.
The investigation began on the night of April 23 when a call to 112 alerted emergency services to the discovery of a body near an exit of the AP-7 in Pilar de la Horadada. Officers from the Guardia Civil and Local Police attended the scene and confirmed the identity of the deceased.
An autopsy later revealed the man had died violently between April 19 and 20 after suffering multiple blows from a cylindrical object.
The Guardia Civil’s Homicide Team in Alicante launched Operation Yalzaq and quickly focused on a man who had been with the victim shortly before the body was found. Investigators also discovered that the suspect lived around 300 metres from where the body had been hidden.When officers arrived in the area, they reportedly found the suspect attempting to flee on a bicycle carrying a bag containing his passport and personal belongings.
During searches nearby, officers recovered a wooden hoe handle measuring around one metre long and four centimetres wide, believed to have been used in the attack. Biological remains found on the weapon reportedly linked it to the crime. A 12-centimetre knife was also seized from the suspect’s home.
According to investigators, the suspect later confessed to the killing. He allegedly told officers that the victim had come to his home intending to stay there despite ongoing tensions between the two men.The suspect claimed the argument escalated and that the victim threatened him with a knife before he attacked him with the stick.
The man was arrested on suspicion of intentional homicide and appeared before Court of First Instance Number Three in Orihuela, which ordered his remand in custody pending further investigation.
Images: Guardia Civil
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