The body of architect Josep Juanpere had internal injuries to his neck that were discovered during the autopsy and that placed his partner in the spotlight of the investigation. The judge considers that Belén López, accused of homicide, could have exerted external pressure on the neck of her romantic partner and caused his death.
In his car, the instructor points out that the body had “injuries consistent with the use of external force.” Although the initial coroner's report concluded the cause of death was a heart attack, investigators believe the neck injuries and subsequent cardiac arrest could be related. In fact, they consider these cervical injuries an “intermediate cause” of traumatic origin in the sequence that led to death.
Yesterday, the judge agreed to preventive detention with bail for López, considering that she could have been responsible for those injuries and for not having requested medical assistance when her partner's condition worsened. The resolution attributes a possible “omission resulting in death due to aggravation of the condition” of the victim.
Josep Juanpere began to feel unwell after Christmas Eve dinner in Baqueira. When he returned home he felt unwell. He suffered dizziness and severe vomiting that forced him to go to the Val d'Aran Hospital, where he remained for a few hours for observation. The person investigated explained that her partner had had black truffle for breakfast and that she thought it had made him feel bad. He reported that he fainted and hit a radiator. For this reason, he asked the doctors to perform a CT scan and a stomach lavage, although the center ruled it out. Juanpere left the hospital with two stitches in his head as a result of the blow. The investigation into the alleged murder of the architect now enters a medical field, in which it must be clarified whether there was a previous blow against a radiator that could have caused the deceased's cervical injuries or if, on the contrary, these were caused by the accused.
After receiving the medical discharge, Juanpere stayed for a few hours in a hotel while his apartment was cleaned. He reserved three rooms: one for the couple, another for his nephew and a third for a nurse. He returned home on the 25th, Christmas, although the reservation contemplated staying one more night. Since then no one has been able to contact him.
On the 26th he died after lying on the couch. Juanpere's nephew tried to enter the home with his own keys, but could not open the door. A friend of the family and the property's caretaker approached and even called the firefighters to help them. In the end they managed to gain access through an electric opening system. The door was closed from the inside. Upon entering the home, they found the lifeless body of the architect along with his partner. Belén, who had not called an ambulance, was very upset and claimed that she was resuscitating him. This strange behavior, together with some demonstrations he made when the emergency services arrived, led the Mossos d'Esquadra to suspect a possible involvement in the death of his partner.
Yesterday, before the judge, Belén López defended her innocence and assured that she was very in love with Juanpere. The head of the Vielha court agreed to place him in provisional prison, subject to bail of 80,000 euros. The magistrate gave her three days to deposit the money and released her. Around five in the afternoon on Friday, López left the judicial premises and got into a vehicle driven by his lawyer to return to Madrid.
During the investigation, the Mossos have had the suspect's communications intercepted, who handed over her passport to the judge on Friday. Messages appear in them that show that the woman is still very affected by the sudden loss of her partner. The woman's entourage regrets that Belén Lopez's interest in everything that has to do with natural and alternative medicine, in addition to esoteric sciences, has been able to condition the investigators' view of the case.
