Three witnesses in the Jubany case contradict the version of the main suspect in the crime

SabadellThree witnesses in the case investigating the murder of Helena Jubany in 2001 have reiterated their statements before the judge, which disprove the version with which the main suspect in the crime, Santi Laiglesia, has exonerated himself until now. The three had already testified in court in 2021During the period the case was open between July 2020 and March 2021, when it was again shelved. In fact, his appointments have been repeated to avoid the possibility that they might be considered invalid for having been made during this impasse, and they coincide with the day after Laiglesia filed an appeal, which ARA has accessed and with which He is trying to get out of the provisional jail, where he has been for 12 days.According to sources present at the deposition, the three witnesses reiterated their accounts, which contradict the suspect's version of events. One of the points they corroborated is that Laiglesia lived in the building where Jubany's body was found, after she was thrown from the roof into an interior courtyard, naked and with burns on different parts of her body. Laiglesia's then-partner, Montse Careta, lived in that apartment building. She was the first person arrested for the crime and committed suicide in Wad-Ras prison in 2002. Laiglesia has always maintained that he didn't live there, but only spent some nights there, and that he was there that night. However, on Wednesday, two witnesses explained the opposite. On one hand, a relative of the building's owner, who worked in administration and maintenance, explained to the judge that Careta had asked some time ago to add Laiglesia to the rental agreement. The change was ultimately not made, according to the witness, to avoid the paperwork. On the other hand, one of Montse Careta's sisters also corroborated that Laiglesia lived in the building. According to sources present at the deposition, the witness explained that she was very close to her sister and visited her frequently, to the point that she had a set of keys because she spent many nights at the apartment. This changed, the witness explained, months before the crime, when Laiglesia and Careta reconciled, because he stipulated that his sister not be in the apartment they shared so often.

This Wednesday, one of the organizers of the protest held the day after the murder against the construction of the Torrebonica golf course, where Laiglesia claimed to have been present, also testified. The witness reiterated that neither Laiglesia nor Careta were at the demonstration, which had only about fifteen people in attendance. The prosecution also wanted to repeat the testimony of a fourth witness who testified in 2001 but died a year later. The transcript of his testimony could be used as evidence at the trial if the court accepts it. He is a neighbor of the property who corroborated that Laiglesia also lived there and that he had seen his name on the mailbox sign.

Laiglesia tries to get out of jail

Laiglesia's defense has appealed the judge's order remanding him in custody. His lawyer argues that most of the evidence cited by the investigating judge has existed for years, yet has not previously resulted in imprisonment. However, what prompted the judge to summon him to testify—on the same day she later sent him to jail—were the results of DNA tests that found matches between Laiglesia's genetic material and the remains found on Jubany's sweater. Now, however, the defense questions these tests, arguing they lack the "necessary reliability" to be incriminating. They point out that prior to these latest results, several tests yielded inconclusive or failed to find any matches. In fact, his defense plans to submit a new report based on the conclusions of the DNA tests, which they consider "inconclusive."

Among Laiglesia's arguments for trying to get out of jail, he also says that he has always been willing to cooperate with the investigation, and he denies any intention of fleeing. Another reason the judge gave for his imprisonment was to prevent the possibility of him influencing or pressuring witnesses who will have to testify at the trial, which the defense criticizes as making no sense 24 years after the crime.

Handwriting samples

The next step in the investigation will be this Friday, when Laiglesia will be transferred in a police van from prison to the Sabadell courthouse to have his handwriting sample taken. Police will then compare it with the anonymous messages Jubany received before his death. The investigating judge also has yet to decide whether to summon two other witnesses to testify, as requested by the Jubany family. These witnesses were unable to testify in 2021 because they had contracted coronavirus, and the case was subsequently dismissed. They are two pharmacists from the store where the benzodiazepines found in the victim's blood were allegedly purchased.