THE WEATHER
www.thecourier.es
Edition 363
A
See page 2 for the week’s forecast
Child Killer Confesses
woman caught in Almeria province with the body of her eight-year-old stepson in her car boot last Sunday, has admitted to killing him. Ana Julia Quezada, a Dominican woman who was in a relationship with Gabriel Cruz's father, claimed that Gabriel got in her car with her so that they could go and “paint the house” on a family estate, where Quezada and her partner, the boy’s father, Ángel Cruz, were renovating a property. Once there, she claims that the youngster got angry with her and attacked her with a hatchet. She told investigators that she then hit the boy with the blunt part of the tool, leaving him unconscious. In a state of panic, she then strangled him with her hands, stripping him of his clothes and burying the body. Gabriel’s parents, Patricia Ramirez and Angel Cruz, who are separated, gave a number of emotional interviews since he went missing after leaving his grandmother's house to go out to play. Gabriel went missing on February 27th, and after a
S
Friday 16th March 2018
4 Bedroom 4 Bathroom Detached Country Villa Y RT PE E O PR F TH K O EE W
Property ID: 592 - 495,000€ missing person's alert went viral, a search involving over 4,000 police and volunteers was launched. On Monday, investigators took Ms Quezada to key locations in their inquiry. She is alleged to have hidden the boy's body at a family property in the village of Rodalquilar, but was caught by the Guardia Civil trying to move it elsewhere. In video footage of her arrest, she is heard to shout: "It wasn't me! I collected the car this morning!" Meanwhile, the Guardia are reportedly reviewing the previous case of a child who died in her care. In 1996, a four-year-old girl fell out of the window in
the northern city of Burgos, where she was with Ms Quezada, who is originally from the Dominican Republic. The death was ruled accidental at the time. Gabriel was last seen leaving his grandmother's house in the village of Las Hortichuelas, next to Rodalquilar, in the municipality of Níjar. He was supposed to go over to a neighbour's for a playdate, but he never returned. On March 3rd, the boy's father Angel Cruz and Ms Quezada found a T-shirt with his DNA 10 kilometres from Níjar. Media reports said that the police have been monitoring Ms Quezada since
then. She had been a fixture at rallies attended by thousands of supporters. An image of a blue fish inspired by Gabriel's love of the sea - was shared on social media with the hashtag #TodosSomosGabriel, meaning "we are all Gabriel". Gabriel's funeral on Tuesday at the cathedral in Almeria near Las Hortichuelas drew a huge crowd, with people shouting "we are all Gabriel". Speaking to the media, Mr Cruz gave thanks for all the support received during the days of uncertainty. "You gave us strength to search for Gabriel," he said.
Mass Traffickers Stopped
ix people were arrested at Alicante-Elche airport as part of a massive nationwide operation to bring down a gang that would send Chinese nationals to the United Kingdom or Ireland at a flat rate of 20 thousand euros per head. The National Police detained 155 people during their operation, which
included the four ring-leaders in Barcelona, after a three-year investigation. There has been no indication of how many people made it to the British Isles through their illegal endeavours. The gang would look after Chinese people in the Barcelona area once they had arrived ...Cont. pg 2
SEE OUR AD ON PAGES 16 & 17 FOR OUR LATEST ADDITIONS