Murder of German archaeologist and his daughter in Aregua: three arrested over theft of Stradivarius violins
Bernard von Bredow, aged 62, and his 14-year-old daughter were found dead showing signs of torture in their home in Aregua. Three German citizens were arrested as suspects.
Crime in Aregua: German archaeologist and his daughter dead, three Germans detained over Stradivarius violins
The body of Bernard von Bredow, violinist, luthier and German archaeologist aged 62, was found on 22 October bearing signs of torture and a bullet wound to the back of the head in his residence in Aregua, east of Asunción, according to bbc.com. His daughter Loreena, aged 14, was discovered dead with a gunshot wound to the stomach inside a bathtub in the same house.
Police detained three German citizens in connection with the double homicide: Volker Grannass, aged 58; Yves Asriel Spartacus Steinmetz, aged 60; and Stephen Jorg Messing Darchinger, aged 51. The head of police investigations, Hugo Grance, confirmed the arrests to the AFP news agency. The authorities indicate that the motive was allegedly the theft of several Stradivarius violins that Von Bredow possessed, and that the residence was completely ransacked during the attack. Photographs of the scene released by Paraguayan media show traces of blood and evidence of looting.
The prosecutor delegated to the case, Sandra Ledesma, described the crime as "brutal" in a radio interview with ABC Cardinal 730AM. "We did not know very well whom to investigate, so we looked for the why. We tried to create a hypothesis with the evidence material we had and the suspicions," she stated.
Ledesma explained that the involvement of the minor—"who has nothing to do with the matter"—and the violence exercised suggest that those responsible knew the victims. The proceedings included raids on properties of people close to the deceased. "We made the decision to search the homes of the people closest to the victims and we found a lot of evidence," the prosecutor asserted.
The suspects presented themselves as friends of Von Bredow. During the operations, investigators found a collection weapon that was being concealed at the moment of the raid and another weapon buried in a thicket on the property of one of the attackers. "The complainant, the person who was most distressed, ended up being one of our suspects," Ledesma noted.
The prosecutor emphasised that the authenticity certificates of the instruments were key to completing their sale. "In the victim's house we have an idea of where the certificates for these violins could be, which are not suitable for sale without the certificates, and that was exactly what they were looking for," she stated. Investigators even found maps of the residence indicating the location of the containers and the authenticity documents. Ledesma clarified that the detainees are still suspects, not formally charged, and that the involvement of other people is not ruled out.
Stradivarius violins take their name from Antonio Stradivari, regarded as the most distinguished string instrument craftsman in history. He manufactured over 1,000 pieces—violins, violas and cellos—and received commissions from figures such as King James II and King Charles III of Spain before his death in 1737. It is estimated that approximately 650 violins survive. One of them reached a record price of 13 million dollars in 2011.
Von Bredow discovered Paraguay in 2017 and returned the following year with his daughter to settle in the country. He dedicated himself to the repair and sale of violins to collectors around the world, according to Paraguayan authorities.
Beyond his work as a luthier, Von Bredow had a recognised career in archaeology. In his adolescence he discovered the complete skeleton of a mammoth near his home town, Siegsdorf, in Germany. "Forty-five years ago, Bernard found the enormous skeleton of the mammoth Oscar of Siegsdorf, excavated it and, over the years, reconstructed it and built a full-size model," states the website of the Mammutheum museum, founded by him around the discovery.
Source: Google News PY — Crime