New trial in Toledo for Velada murder: three accused return to the dock
The Provincial Court of Toledo is resuming the case of young Manuel Fernández Silva from Monday, who was shot dead in 2019 during an alleged car sale transaction.
Three accused return to the dock for the Velada crime
The First Section of the Provincial Court of Toledo begins a new trial with a jury on Monday for the murder of Manuel Fernández Silva, a 22-year-old who was shot in the back in July 2019 during what the Public Prosecutor's office describes as a fraudulent vehicle sale operation in the Toledo town of Velada. According to ABC, the new proceedings are taking place following the annulment of the previous trial by the High Court of Justice of Castilla-La Mancha.
The three accused—José Antonio R.A., Moisés S.R. and Juan José C.L.—appear again before a different jury and a different presiding judge from the first proceedings, which took place in 2022. The Civil and Criminal Division of the High Court of Justice annulled that first trial, considering that the presiding judge had overstepped the jury's powers by excluding Juan José C.L. from the verdict on the charges of murder and robbery with violence and intimidation, without the popular jury being able to rule on the matter.
In the 2022 trial, José Antonio R.A. was found guilty of murder. Moisés S.R. was acquitted of the charges of murder and robbery with violence and intimidation, whilst Juan José C.L. was excluded from the jury's verdict by decision of the judge, a circumstance that the High Court of Justice considered contrary to law and which led to the complete repetition of the hearing.
The facts according to the prosecution
The Public Prosecutor's office contends that the three defendants acted in concert to seize the money that Manuel Fernández Silva was carrying to buy a car advertised on Milanuncios. The victim, who had found an advertisement for a Seat León on that platform, travelled from Plasencia to Velada accompanied by two people to close the transaction.
According to the prosecution charge sheet, after initial negotiations without agreement, the accused simulated accepting the sale and arranged to meet Fernández Silva in an open area at the confluence of the N-502 and CM-5103 roads. There, according to the Public Prosecutor, they seized the 5,500 euros that the buyer was carrying and a struggle ensued.
When the victim attempted to flee, José Antonio R.A. shot him in the back with a revolver that he was carrying without a licence. The projectile caused fatal injuries that resulted in massive haemorrhaging and the young man's death, which occurred almost immediately.
Sentences sought and compensation
The Public Prosecutor's office is requesting a total of 31 years imprisonment for José Antonio R.A.: 25 for murder, four for robbery with violence and intimidation, and two more for unlawful possession of weapons. For Juan José C.L. and Moisés S.R., the Public Prosecutor's office is seeking 20 years imprisonment for murder and a further four years for robbery with violence and intimidation, considering that both participated in the plan and collaborated in its execution.
In addition, the prosecution is demanding that the three convicted men jointly and severally compensate the victim's daughter, who was four years old when the incident occurred, with €130,000, and the deceased's mother with €80,000.
Source: ABC