Murder of Paco from the kiosk solved 10 years on: he was beaten to death in a robbery in Marbella

Police in Marbella never closed the case of the murder of Paco 'El del Quiosco' ('The guy from the kiosk'), which happened 10 years ago. The investigators have been dedicated to finding the suspects and bringing them to justice for the family's peace of mind. Almost a decade later, they have succeeded.

Last week, the National Police located and arrested one of the main suspects of the murder in Jerez de la Frontera. The detainee is a middle-aged waiter, who has now been provisionally imprisoned, while the investigation is assessing the new information. With this, the case has been reopened.

Paco was 57 and originally from Canillas de Aceituno, although he had been living in Marbella for more than 30 years. There, he ran a small kiosk on the corner of Avenida Nabeul and Avenida Ramón y Cajal, just a few metres from his home in the centre of town. Much-loved in the neighbourhood, he was single and lived alone and always had the support of his family, who are still a close-knit group. Paco was the youngest of four siblings and had six nephews and nieces who adored him.

He used to open very early and close late, around midnight, which is why his neighbours speculated that he might have been mugged by "someone who knew his timetable and who knew that he was taking the profits of the day home".

On the day of the murder, 6 November 2015, someone saw him close the kiosk after midnight, just a few minutes before the attack that cost him his life. It was then when, according to the investigation, he was robbed and beaten to death.

A couple who had gone for a walk found him lying in a pool of blood in the doorway of the building where he lived - Calle Juan Alameda 7. It was around 2am. When the paramedics arrived, he was dying. For 40 minutes, they tried to save him by performing CPR, but their efforts were in vain. He was pronounced dead at 1am.

The investigators noticed that the body showed severe trauma to the face, with several fractures - evidence of a violent death. Everything suggests that he was beaten with extreme violence. The door of the flat was open, which suggests that the argument may have started inside the flat and that he either chased his assailant into the street or went out to the doorway to get something and saw him there. The interior of the property was not ransacked.

After years without progress, police investigations have led to the identification of the main suspect, who had been working in the hotel industry in Marbella at the time of the murder, but had moved to Jerez de la Frontera. He agreed to testify before the judge, although his statement has not been revealed. The investigators are quite clear that the motive for the crime was robbery and that money and tobacco had been stolen from Paco's flat.