The murder of Paco in Almogía: 'The plan was to pressure him for money and then throw him off a cliff'

The Guardia Civil are making progress with the investigation into the death of Francisco Mayorga in Almogía in March this year. The investigators believe that the suspects killed 83-year-old Francisco, also known as 'Paco el del molino', by using a 'mataleón' strangling technique during a raid on his home. "The idea was to pressure him for money and then throw him off a cliff," said one of the investigators.

In addition, the police believe that one of the perpetrators tried to revive the victim using CPR, without succeeding, proof of which could be the broken ribs. After that, they allegedly asked neighbours for alcohol in order to burn the house, together with the evidence and Paco's body. In the end, they transferred the body in a wheelbarrow and left it in the field.

Francisco Mayorga was first reported missing on 9 March, when his family didn't see him the whole day. The previous night, 8 March, he had watched a football match with a relative who lives close to his house. After that, Paco walked the few metres separating the two houses and that was when he was last seen. From the beginning, his disappearance was considered disturbing, because his relative found blood, Paco's dentures and signs of burglary when he went to look for the older man in his house.

During the following days, three arrests were made. On 14 March, one of the suspects - El Trini - told the officers that he could take them to where Paco's body was. The judge authorised his temporary release from prison and he took the police to the area of the Rambla. Paco's body was left under some bushes.

The other two detainees were El Raki and El Keni. It is believed that it was the former who planted the burglary idea, as he had worked for Francisco Mayorga before and had seen the man with a 100-euro note, which made him believe that he was keeping a big sum of cash at home. El Keni, on the other hand, has a long criminal record, with 20 police entries.

El Keni tried to blame El Trini for the robbery and for Paco's disappearance. He was the suspect who voluntarily went to the police station to report that El Trini had gone to ask him for help after returning from Paco's house. However, his version was dismissed by the police.

According to the investigation, El Keni and El Trini participated in the assault, but the involvement of El Raki has not been ruled out, although he was released after a brief stay in prison. It is believed that he was, at least, the one who planted the robbery idea.

On the night of the incident, the two (or three) men climbed the wall of Paco's house and surprised him in the living room on the upper floor. Presumably, El Keni was the physical murderer. He strangled Paco by putting his arm around the man's neck and pressing on it.

It is not known whether the criminals found the money they were looking for. Police officers believe that they took money, Paco's ID card, wine and other personal belongings.

The Guardia Civil's statement points to crimes of robbery with violence and murder, considering that there was premeditation in the attack, given the age difference and the physical advantage of the assailants. All three of them have athletic build and suffer from a drug addiction.

Paco's family has filed a private lawsuit with the aim of building a solid prosecution for both crimes.