Two accused of murdering a German tourist in Mallorca had intended to rob him

Ángel Ruiz said that the two had been wanting to steal money from German tourists in Arenal who had drunk too much.

“A very long, arduous and exhaustive investigation” had resulted in the arrests of Francisco Jesús J. and José David R. On the night of October 8, the police and prosecution maintain, Tim V. had been thrown from a moving Citroën Berlingo van on the motorway near Playa de Palma.

A witness told the police that he had seen “some arms” throw a body from the vehicle. Inspector Ruiz told the jury: “No one in their right mind jumps out of a van that is travelling even at 20 kilometres per hour. The witness described very well how this person fell in the opposite direction to the traffic. Like a sack of potatoes, like a doll, and with his back to the traffic. This was very significant. It made no sense for him to jump out of a moving van on a motorway.“

Francisco Jesús J. was arrested for burglary by the Guardia Civil in March 2023. His phone was seized and it was discovered that he had carried out 22 searches between January and March in relation to the death of the German tourist. This was at a time when “nothing more had appeared in the press”.

The defence claims that the two had wanted to “act like good Samaritans and take him in the van to his hotel”. Inspector Ruiz pointed out that there were two roundabouts along the route taken. “They had plenty of opportunities to leave him at his hotel. The purpose was none other than to rob him. José David admitted this in his statement. He said that Francisco had proposed that they rob him.”