IT’S NOT often that the small town of Benijofar, population, 4,200, makes world wide news. But this week, the town entered infamy because local vet Marcelo Gurruchaga has been charged with the murder of his wife. Two days later, after being questioned by his children where their mother was, he went to the Guardia Civil with a box of ashes in his hands. Inside the box were the ashes of his wife, Argentina 46, who had died earlier in the week. The woman died on Holy Thursday, allegedly from a drug overdose after going into depression because of her ongoing fight with obesity.
Gurruchaga told police that he unsuccessfully tried to revive his wife for three hours. He then dismembered her body and took the remains to an animal incinerator company, telling them the bags contained dog remains for cremation.
The husband took a week to notify the Civil Guard that his wife had died of a drug overdose, although other press reports say that possibly some sort of home liposuction process was being undertaken at the time. Those who knew the victim do not lend credence to the story that Argentina died during a botched liposuction performed by her husband at the clinic.
The pet business, Pet Care was going well, according to his neighbours. Gurruchaga and his wife opened the modern clinic, in 2007, after emigrating from Argentina. They had built a strong customer base of mainly British and German clients from the nearby developments and Benimar Ciudad Quesada. He was responsible for operations and Argentina attended at the store and the pet hair salon.
The alleged killer presented himself at the Civil Guard barracks in Almoradí (Alicante) to give his version of the death of his wife a week later. He had chosen one of the most effective methods at its disposal to destroy traces of a corpse. "This takes time and determination. Typically, these acts are committed by people who have something to hide" explains Professor of Criminology at the University of Valencia (UV) Vicente Garrido. "If you really committed suicide, why get rid of the body?" The Professor of Criminal Law at the UV José Luis González Cussac says: "Without the body it is very difficult to get a conviction for murder." He added that the accused could face a penalty of illegal exhumation exiguous.
A bizarre case that will put the town of Benijofar on the Google map for all the wrong reasons.
Source:
RTN