In the Provincial Court of Madrid, the popular jury trial began this Tuesday against Said E. A, a 33-year-old young man accused of the murder of his ex-partner, 20-year-old Esther F. L, and her friend, Youssef M., after causing a fire in August 2022 in a squatted warehouse in Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid) in which he knew they were sleeping.
Two other investigators, Benaissa B. and Zahir E. R, alleged accomplices in this double murder, also sit in the dock. The Prosecutor’s Office requests 60 years for the alleged main perpetrator, for the two deaths and the aggravating circumstances of kinship, gender and fire; and 55 for his alleged collaborators in the crime. Meanwhile, the lawyer who represents the Community of Madrid as a popular prosecutor requests permanent, reviewable prison for the three alleged perpetrators due to the seriousness of the crime.
The defendants’ defenses, for their part, assure that they did not participate in the deaths and defend their acquittal due to lack of evidence.
when the three investigated caused a fire inside a squatted industrial warehouse in Torrejón de Ardoz, on Guadalajara Street in the Madrid town, knowing that Esther and Youssef were together inside, who presumably had a romantic relationship. According to the Prosecutor’s Office brief, the main perpetrator and the deceased young woman had lived in that warehouse for years and throughout their relationship he had had “aggressive and violent behavior” towards her. He allegedly attacked her and even said that he was going to kill her after finding out that there was another person in her life.
After the event, Said made a statement to the media in which he explained that the deceased were his girlfriend and a friend and that he had come to visit them during a vacation. He went on to detail that the three of them were “watching TV and smoking joints” until his girlfriend and his friend went to sleep, when he went out to smoke and walk and the fire broke out. Said remains in provisional prison since September 2022.
Autopsies later revealed that both young men died from asphyxiation, due to inhalation of smoke caused by the fire.
This Wednesday the witness statements will begin, starting with the agents of As agreed by the parties, and as usual, the three accused will testify last.
