The Prosecutor's Office maintained in the Lleida Court its request for 18 years in prison for the accused of allegedly burning his partner on November 28, 2022, in Artesa de Segre. The public prosecutor attributes to him a crime of attempted murder in conjunction with a crime of arson, a classification to which the private prosecution adhered.
Last witness of the trial
The hearing took the last pending statement, that of the man to whose house the accused went after the events. The witness explained that he appeared at his home "all burned and smelled of smoke" and related that, upon asking him what had happened and what he had done, he received no answer.
"He was like a zombie and didn't respond" - witness
According to his version, the accused lay down on his bed and he chose to call the Mossos d'Esquadra. The officers went to the apartment and carried out the arrest.
Prosecution and accusation maintain that he wanted to kill the victim
The prosecutor argued that the defendant's intention was "to kill the victim" and stressed that he told her so on several occasions at the time of the events. She also maintained that the woman's statement has been consistent throughout the judicial procedure.
The victim declared that her partner first doused her with alcohol and then with acetone while telling her "now you really are going to burn". For the private prosecution, the accused's sole intention was to take her life and he acted knowing what he was doing, without his capacities being affected by drug consumption.
During the session, the prosecutor also rejected the version of an alleged heroic act by the accused when taking the woman out. She stressed that no one saw that scene, contrary to what he had stated. At that point, the statements of two neighbors gained relevance, who assured that the man was with his hands in his pockets and without providing help to anyone while they had to abandon their homes due to the fire.
The defense lowers the request for sentence
The defense lawyer asked that, in case of conviction, a sentence of 5 years and one day in prison be imposed. She proposed that, if the court finds evidence of a crime, he be convicted of injuries in conjunction with arson or, subsidiarily, for attempted murder.
The defense argued that there was no premeditation or cruelty. In the last turn to speak, the accused stated he was very repentant and asked for forgiveness from whoever he had harmed, especially the victim. With this last intervention, the trial was adjourned for sentencing in the Lleida Court.