The Provincial Prosecutor's Office of Barcelona and the private prosecution are requesting 26 years in prison for Santi Laiglesia for the crime of Helena Jubany, murdered in December 2001 in Sabadell after falling from the roof of number 48 Calvet Estrella street, where he lived at the time. The sentence request is broken down into 20 years for murder and six for illegal detention.
The progress of the case comes almost twenty-five years after the events and with an accusatory thesis that maintains that Laiglesia did not act alone. The Prosecutor's Office maintains that he actively participated in the crime, possibly with the complicity of other people, and that the victim was drugged to leave her unconscious before being taken to the rooftop and thrown to her death.
The Prosecutor's Office requests 26 years and removes the other investigated person
The two accusers have already presented their briefs and, at the same time, request the provisional dismissal of Xavi Jiménez, the other investigated party in the case. In this way, the procedure is now focused on Laiglesia, awaiting the magistrate's decision on whether to open a oral trial.
In its filing, the Prosecutor's Office describes that they acted against Helena Jubany when she could not defend herself. The public ministry literally states that they took her to the building's rooftop and threw her into the void, taking advantage of her "absolute incapacity".
"We reiterate our commitment to the truth and the memory of Helena" - Helena Jubany's family, statement
The private prosecution, represented by the family, adds another detail to their account of the events. They maintain that before throwing her from the rooftop, they stripped her and doused her with cologne.
Both parties also claim compensation of 600,000 euros for the victim's parents and siblings for civil liability. All those involved knew each other from a young age at the Unió Excursionista de Sabadell, one of the places that appears recurrently in the case.
The judge must decide if the case goes to the Jury Court
The next procedural step will be a preliminary hearing in which the magistrate will decide whether the proceedings advance to oral trial. If the case overcomes that step, the trial will be held before a Jury Court.
The parties have proposed the testimony of about thirty witnesses. Among them are the accused himself, relatives of Helena Jubany, Ana Echaguibel, Xavi Jiménez, about ten members of the Unió Excursionista de Sabadell and relatives of Montserrat Careta, Laiglesia's ex-partner, who committed suicide in prison in 2002.
A good part of the weight of the procedure will also fall on expert evidence. The prosecution demands the analysis of elements such as handwriting and DNA samples recovered and delivered to the judge almost twenty-five years after the murder.
Helena Jubany died in December 2001 after being thrown from the rooftop of number 48 Calvet Estrella street in Sabadell, which was Santi Laiglesia's home at the time.