Pepe's environment, the man in the wheelchair who killed a robber, claims they should release him

BarcelonaThe Bon Pastor neighborhood of Barcelona is still in shock over a crime that shook the community five days ago. En Pepe, a man with mobility and respiratory problems, allegedly stabbed a young man who had stolen a chain from him, and the thief ended up dying. The man has already been taken into provisional prison, a judicial decision that has outraged part of the neighborhood, which justifies it as self-defense and denounces that En Pepe is in a delicate state of health.

for allegedly fatally stabbing a thief who had stolen a chain he was wearing around his neckNow En Pepe is locked up in a cell at Brians 1 prison accused of a homicide offense for allegedly fatally stabbing a thief who had stolen a chain he was wearing around his neck. It was a thin chain, not ostentatious at all, they say from his circle. Everything happened where he used to sunbathe, this Sunday at noon. According to En Pepe's version, a young man approached him to ask him where a street was, and that already made him suspicious.

Next, the young man allegedly forcibly ripped a chain from his neck, and En Pepe reacted by stabbing him in the chest with a small knife. "He always carries it to peel fruit," they explain from his circle. According to witnesses to the events, the boy ran a few meters further away badly injured, but finally fell to the ground. En Pepe's own family called the police. He stayed still, explained to the Mossos what had happened, and handed over the knife. Some people who spoke with En Pepe after the incident claim that he felt something cold on the back of his neck while they were trying to rob him. The Mossos, however, have no record that the alleged thief was armed.

Sense of surprise

According to sources consulted by ARA, the deceased's body was found with Pepe's chain, a fact that strengthens the robbery hypothesis. The boy was 18 years old and had several previous convictions for similar robberies. The surprise came when the courts decided that Pepe should be remanded in provisional custody. "He has very delicate health. It doesn't suit him to be locked up in a cell. Besides, it was all in self-defense," argue people close to him. Julio, a lifelong friend, also says: "He got scared and only defended himself." In fact, as ARA has learned, the judicial decision to imprison him has not only generated astonishment among friends and family, but there is also a sense of surprise among the Mossos investigators who are handling the case.

Pepe will remain in provisional prison for at least a few more days, but his situation could change. He himself can appeal the judge's decision that has jailed him and, moreover, in the coming days a different magistrate will assess the case. Meanwhile, sources from the Prosecutor's Office consulted by ARA explain that they have requested a vulnerability report which, along with the initial steps of the investigation, will help decide whether to ask the court to release Pepe or to keep him in prison. When the detainee was brought before the court this Tuesday, the prosecutor asked for him to be sent to prison, and he could reiterate his request or change his mind.

Neighborhood outcry

This Wednesday afternoon, various people from Bon Pastor took to the streets to demand Pepe's freedom. His family members did so, as did various neighbors. The popular outcry, however, is also strictly linked to a feeling of insecurity in the neighborhood. Carmen walks with a shopping bag through the same park where the crime occurred. She only knew Pepe by sight. She wears no earrings, no rings, no bracelets, nor any pendant. "I leave home with nothing, I'm afraid they'll rob me," she admits. She explains that she is a widow and feels "unprotected" when she walks alone on the street, that there are many robberies. She even takes off the wedding ring that united her to her husband.

But Carmen is not the only one taking these security measures. "There are many elderly women here who carry a box cutter in their bag," explains a neighbor, also elderly, from the same neighborhood. This is corroborated shortly after by a neighbor who wishes to remain anonymous: "I don't carry a box cutter, but I do carry pepper spray," she states. Immediately, she opens her bag and shows it. Precisely, last September there was another homicide in Bon Pastor. It happened in the same block of houses where Pepe lives, two blocks further down. The trigger was a failed sale of jewelry that also ended with a knife attack inside the building.