A U.S. male receives 42-year jail sentence for killing a Colombian disc jockey.
In January 2023, a murder took place in Bogotá that has attracted significant attention from the public in Colombia. The victim, Trespalacios, was on the rise in the music festival scene and had been in a romantic relationship with Poulos since 2021 as per her family and attorneys' statements.
The Office of the Attorney General of Colombia released a statement following the ruling, asserting that the prosecutors had proven Poulos had beaten and suffocated his partner and tried to conceal the body. They stated: "The security camera records reveal that the aggressor wrapped the victim's body, hid it in a suitcase, and abandoned it in a garbage container in the town of Fontibón, in the west of Bogotá. It was discovered there by the authorities a few hours later."
The court hearing on Tuesday found the evidence presented by the prosecutors sufficient to conclude Poulos' guilt. The judge handed him a sentence of 42 years and eight months - four years less than what the prosecution had demanded.
Additionally, the judge issued several conditions: Poulos was barred from approaching or attempting to contact Trespalacios' family for 20 years, and was commanded to be expelled from Colombia once his sentence was served.
Poulos' legal team plans to appeal the sentence, claiming that their client was innocent of femicide and should be charged with homicide instead, which carries a less severe punishment.
In Colombia, femicide, which involves killing women because of their gender, is considered a more severe crime than homicide. Laws in the country typically impose harsher penalties for this type of crime.
From the defense team's perspective, they believe the witnesses were not sincere, all saying the same thing.
In response, the victim's legal team was satisfied with the decision, declaring that it highlighted the fact that Trespalacios had faced various forms of violence. Her lawyer, Miguel Ángel del Río, expressed his contentment with the outcome, stating: "It's a fair decision for us, consistent with the evidentiary elements and the theory of the case we had at the outset. From the start, we maintained that we were dealing with objectification, instrumentalization of a woman through several factors, as well as psychological and multiple forms of violence."
Poulos was arrested in Panama in January 2023 when he was attempting to travel to Turkey. He was subsequently deported to Colombia, where he denied the charges against him. He was convicted approximately one and a half years after the death of Trespalacios.
Del Río added that the family of the victim can only seek reparations for damages once the conviction becomes final at a second-level appellate court.
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Despite the conviction and sentence, the controversy surrounding the case continues to spark discussions in the Americas, drawing attention from various media outlets. The World Health Organization also released a statement, expressing concern over the increasing instances of gender-based violence worldwide.
