Trial Begins for Couple Accused in Deadly Spanish Sextortion Case

The accused used the social network Badoo to lure their victims. The woman posed as a young Dominican named "Bella" or "Sweet Angel", and once the meeting with their prey was arranged, the other members of the criminal network attacked them to deprive them of their belongings. They are accused of several crimes of assault, but will be mainly tried for the one on José Antonio Delgado, known as Josetxu, a 54-year-old computer scientist residing in Getxo (Basque Country), which resulted in a murder. The experts had shown that the victim had been buried alive.

Hedangeline, originally from Venezuela, and Mohamed, originally from Morocco, met in Saragossa in June 2019. The man lived in a warehouse that also served as an automotive repair workshop, in Pedrola (Saragossa), the town where the crime took place, according to El Correo. The prosecution is seeking 16 years in prison against each of them for the crimes of robbery with violence and murder, illegal possession of weapons and money laundering, membership in a criminal group, as well as the payment of damages to the victim’s family.

The facts took place on September 6, 2019 in Luceni (Saragossa). Josetxu had arrived at the meeting place in his red Mercedes Benz when he was assaulted and stripped of his personal belongings, before being taken away by the two defendants who "then decided to kill him". "They tied his hands and struck him with blunt objects," the prosecution explains in the indictment, specifying that the victim’s body was not found until September 27, 2019.

During the arrest of the couple, Hedangeline tried to get rid of a necklace and a ring belonging to Josetxu "by trying to throw them down a bathroom drain". Glasses and a brand-name Emporio Armani handbag, recognized as belonging to the victim by members of his family, were also found on the premises. Mohamed will be in the dock on Monday. On Wednesday, forty witnesses will testify and on Thursday, the experts will present their final reports before the deliberation scheduled for Monday, February 21.