Man accused of killing Yoel Quispe in A Coruña claims he intended to "intimidate" him
In the second session of the trial over the death of young A Coruña resident Yoel Quispe, the lawyer for José Luis Franco argues that his client asked for the knife in order to dissuade the victim, not to end his life.
Man accused of killing Yoel Quispe in A Coruña claims he intended to "intimidate" him
The Provincial Court of A Coruña is hosting the trial this week for the death of Yoel Quispe, a young man who died after being stabbed in the heart during a festive Christmas night out in the city centre in 2024. Three individuals are being tried, although the prosecution considers José Luis Franco to be the perpetrator of the homicide.
On the second day of the proceedings, the lawyer for the main defendant told the members of the jury that his client had borrowed the knife from an acquaintance solely to "frighten" Quispe and cause him to move away. According to this version, there was no intention to cause harm, but rather to dissuade. The defence characterised the events as "a fateful decision" influenced by youth, alcohol consumption and the late hour, denying that it was a group assault.
The lawyer specified that Franco inflicted two superficial wounds to the head and a third, "unfortunately fatal" one, but that there was never any intent to take the victim's life. He argued that Quispe maintained hostile behaviour towards his client and that the latter responded excessively due to the environment of substances and alcoholic drinks.
The lawyers for the other two defendants, whom Quispe's relatives accuse of complicity, stressed that the prosecution has not provided evidence linking them to the crime. "There is one true and sole culprit. They should not punish innocent people," they appealed to the members of the citizen tribunal.
A witness who witnessed the fight recalled a phrase Franco shouted moments before the attack: "Let my friend give me the knife, I don't care if they take me to prison." This statement matches the testimony that dogged the accused during the investigation phase.
Franco's defence emphasised that his client voluntarily identified himself in the security camera footage provided by investigators and that he wrote a letter asking for forgiveness from the victim's relatives, gestures which, according to the lawyer, show a cooperative attitude. However, the Public Ministry stressed that the defendant fled after the assault and that the weapon was never found.
Quispe's relatives, present every day outside the courthouse, maintain that "not all those involved are here" and that other people participated in the altercation who were ultimately not prosecuted. They are calling for sentences of up to 25 years for the three defendants, a demand that exceeds that of the prosecution, which only holds Franco responsible.
The trial will continue over the next two weeks with the appearance of witnesses and expert witnesses. The defendants will testify before the court on 11 February.
Source: ABC