Mayor's former husband was still alive when dumped in rubbish container, before contents were emptied into bin lorry and crushed

A 45-year-old man died after being crushed to death by the machinery of a bin lorry in Castellón in the early hours of 19 October. However, police investigators have discovered that he was alive at the time when he was thrown into the rubbish container that was emptied into the vehicle and that he had been assaulted in his home earlier.

The man's identity has also been revealed. He was the ex-husband of Almassora's mayor. Vicente D. G. was also the owner of an IT and services company.

The police are investigating whether the victim was possibly assaulted as a settling-of-scores case linked to the world of drug dealing. According to sources, the man was beaten unconscious and then thrown into a rubbish container located on Calle Pérez Galdós 7.

When one of the bin collectors saw what looked like a leg inside the lorry, he immediately told the driver to stop the crushing system, but it was too late. Although Vicente D. G. was still breathing when the workers found him, the paramedics mobilised to the scene could only confirm his death upon arrival. That was at around 5am.

The forensic expert who examined the corpse discovered injuries compatible with punches or blows with a blunt object. The body was taken to the institute of legal medicine for an autopsy and further tests to be performed.

The police have carried out a thorough house search. Many of the victim's neighbours heard about his death through the media. "The area is very quiet. The street is very dark at night. The branches of the trees cover the lampposts and I don't think there was anyone in the street at that time of day," one neighbour said, adding that most people had gone home around 1am, after a music performance in the Ribalta park.