Prosecution seeks 52 years in prison for Magentí over double homicide at Susqueda
The prosecution accuses Jordi Magentí of murdering Marc and Paula in August 2017 at the Susqueda reservoir. Without direct evidence, the prosecution contends that he shot both young people in a fishing area.
Accusation without forensic evidence
According to ABC, the prosecution has filed a motion seeking 52 years in prison for Jordi Magentí, the sole person investigated for the double murder at Susqueda that occurred on 24 August 2017. The prosecution holds him responsible for the deaths of Marc and Paula, both just over twenty years old, as well as for illegal possession of weapons. However, the case lacks scientific findings: there are no fingerprints, DNA, surveillance records or geolocation data connecting the accused to the shots that killed the couple in the reservoir in the town of Girona.
The discovery of the submerged bodies, a month after their disappearance, prevented determination of the type of projectile or calibre used. Despite this, the public prosecutor maintains in its motion that Magentí "riddled" the young man first with at least four shots and then her with a single shot to the head. The prosecution alleges that he then sank both their vehicle, an Opel Zafira, and the bodies in different locations to destroy evidence.
The investigators' theory
The Mossos d'Esquadra have maintained for nearly nine years that the shots were fired from La Rierica, a spot in the reservoir where the ruins of a farmhouse stand that appears and disappears with the water level. This was where Magentí admitted in court that he had been fishing on the morning of the crime. The Central Unit for Missing Persons, headed by sergeant Pere Sànchez, has failed to establish a motive for the attack or what provoked, according to the prosecution's claim, that "excessive rage" against both young people.
Procedure and background
The prosecution is seeking 25 years in prison for each homicide plus two years for weapons possession. The private prosecution has not yet filed its motion. Magentí, who sought his acquittal on the grounds that there is no solid evidence against him, was remanded in custody in February 2018 after his arrest. He remained imprisoned for ten months before obtaining release as there were insufficient grounds. It was not his first contact with the justice system: in 1997 he was convicted of killing his ex-wife with two shotgun blasts, for which he served twelve years before gaining provisional release.
Difficulties in the investigation
Magentí's defence, represented by lawyer Benet Salellas, has criticised investigators for neglecting other lines of inquiry by focusing solely on their client. On the day of the crime there were between 200 and 300 people in the Susqueda area. The complexity of the scene—a dense forest area with frequent access that periodically disappears under water—has hindered the search for evidence. According to the defence, this has made the investigation a particularly challenging task during the nearly nine years of proceedings that have preceded the trial.
Source: ABC