

Sections
Highlight
The police investigation has confirmed that the American tourist who was killed in a robbery in the centre of Malaga last week was Richard Gross, a Boston priest. According to American press sources, the victim of the Monday 20 January attack was well-known and loved both within and outside the religious community.
The priest, 80, had worked at a community college and had been the pastor of a church in downtown Boston, a city characterised by its religious roots, home to 282 parishes. He was currently doing service at the Our Lady of Good Voyage church.
The priest was killed on the day of his arrival in Malaga. His plan had been to spend a week's holiday touring the Costa del Sol. The first stop was the ground floor of a block of three tourist flats in Calle Viento, between Calle Carretería and Calle La Goleta, where he had booked his accommodation via a tourist agency.
Father Richard Gross was assaulted as soon as he arrived at the house. The perpetrator(s) of the robbery took the victim's belongings - at least one suitcase and a backpack with his documents. He still had the keys to the flat with him, suggesting that he was approached as soon as he opened the door.
The autopsy suggested that he died of asphyxiation. Judging by the injuries and the crime scene, it is believed that he may have suffered a 'mataleón', which is a dangerous technique used in some robberies, consisting of wrapping an arm around the victim's neck and pressing until the victim stops resisting. The technique usually results in the victim falling unconscious.
The date of death is pending the final autopsy report, but testimonies gathered in the neighbourhood suggested that the assault might have taken place around 9pm. A neighbour said that she had heard a man screaming "as if he was being killed".
The woman told SUR that she could hear the screams for about 10 minutes, which compelled her to look out the window and find out where they were coming from. She went upstairs to ask another neighbour if she had also heard them. When she told her that she had not, and given that local residents would usually hear "racket" on the street at night, she decided not to notify the police.
However, another group of tourists staying in the same street did telephone the emergency services, alarmed by the screams. A local police patrol arrived shortly afterwards and, although they looked around the area, they did not see the body of the victim, who was inside the flat.
Early on Tuesday afternoon, the police received another call, informing them that the body of the American man was lying in the tourist flat and could be seen from the building's corridor. Officers have confirmed that the man, whose body showed obvious signs of violence, had died.
Publicidad
Publicidad
Publicidad
Publicidad
Esta funcionalidad es exclusiva para registrados.
Reporta un error en esta noticia
Comentar es una ventaja exclusiva para registrados
¿Ya eres registrado?
Inicia sesiónNecesitas ser suscriptor para poder votar.