A stylist to the Miss Honduras who was murdered last week has been found stabbed to death in his bath, it was reported today.
Luis
Alfredo Garcia, who was a make-up artist for Maria Jose Alvarado, was
apparently tied up before being repeatedly knifed in the neck.
Mr
Garcia's decomposing remains were discovered at his home on the island
of Roatan just days after Miss Alvarado and her sister Sophia Trinidad
were killed.
Their
bodies were found buried along the banks of a river last Wednesday, the
same day Miss Alvarado, 19, was set to fly to London to compete in the
Miss World pageant.
Knifed
repeatedly: Luis Alfredo Garcia (left), who was a make-up artist for the
murdered Miss Honduras Maria Jose Alvarado (right), has been found
stabbed to death in his bath days after the beauty queen was killed
Police
have launched a murder investigation into Mr Garcia's death after
revealing nothing had been taken from his apartment, it was reported by International Business Times.
It
comes as their alleged killer, Trinidad's boyfriend Plutarco Antonio
Ruiz - who has reportedly confessed to the crime - appeared in court
with three suspected accomplices.
A judge in San Pedro Sula issued a formal processing order for Ruiz, according to the prosecutor.
The
men appeared in court yesterday in the town of Santa Barbara, 200
kilometers north of the capital city Tegucigalpa, but were transferred
to a court in San Pedro Sula, Honduras' second largest city, for
security reasons.
Accused
of complicity in the killings are three people who allegedly helped
cover up the crime: Ruiz's friend Aris Maldonado Mejia, resort owner
Ventura Diaz, and Diaz's wife Elizabeth Alvarado.
According
to police, Ruiz shot the two women dead after attending a birthday
party at a resort and the three accomplices helped bury the bodies at
the edge of a river.
Ruiz and the accused accomplices declined to testify at their first court appearance.
Alleged killer: Police officers
manhandle Plutarco Antonio Ruiz, the chief suspect in the murder of Miss
Alvarado and her sister, on the back of a pick-up truck outside court
Suspect: The two sisters, whose bodies
were found buried along the back of a river on Thursday, were killed
with 22 bullets, allegedly by notorious narco-trafficking kingpin Ruiz
(above)
On
Monday, MailOnline revealed how the grieving family of the two sisters
were planning to flee the country in fear for their own lives.
The
beauty queen's mother, Teresa de Jesus Munoz, and her eldest daughter
Cory Corina, are hoping to submit their application for political asylum
in the United States this week.
The
two sisters, whose bodies were found on Thursday, were killed with 22
bullets, allegedly by notorious narco-trafficking kingpin Ruiz, 32.
In
an exclusive interview, the mother and daughter said they are 'fearful'
violent Ruiz could send his gang after them if, as expected, he is
transferred to a high security jail following his first court appearance
tomorrow.
Ruiz,
who had been romantically involved with 23-year-old Sofia, is a feared
drugs trafficker in the family's hometown, Santa Barbara, northern
Honduras.
Maria
Alvarado, left, and her sister Sofia, right were shot dead apparently by
Sofia's boyfriend after he got jealous that she flirted with another
man
In fear for their lives: Teresa de
Jesus Munoz, right, and her eldest daughter Cory Corina, believe that
they will be targeted unless they flee to America
'I am in pain': Plutarco Antonio Ruiz Rodriguez inside the Santa B
A
settling scores with threats and violence, he is rumoured to have
ordered countless crimes, including other murders and disappearances in
the poor country town, according to local police.
Cory,
26, Mrs Munoz's last remaining child, said: 'We need to leave the
country because we are uncertain what might happen to us if we stay.
'We're no longer feel safe and we are now fearful for our own lives.'
The
revelation came as it emerged Ruiz is under investigation by the
American Drugs Enforcement Agency (DEA) after the gruesome murder
brought to light his alleged links to the international narcotics trade.
Agreements
between the two countries could see Ruiz extradited to face drug
trafficking charges in the US, once he has served any sentences handed
down to him in his home country.
Santa
Barbara is one of the main towns in a major trafficking corridor
transporting drugs through Guatemala and Mexico to the United States.
A
source close to the police investigation told MailOnline: 'Everybody in
town has known for a long time that Ruiz is a drug trafficker, but
because of the publicity surrounding the murder of Miss Honduras he has
now come onto the DEA's radar too.
'They
are already accompanying investigations by the DLN (Department for the
Fight against Narcotrafficking) in Honduras into his activities.'
The
dangerous world in which Mrs Munoz and her daughter have suddenly found
themselves was evident yesterday at their modest home on a dusty dirt
road on the outskirts of Santa Barbara.
Outside
the one-storey brick house, reached by a path of broken planks over a
muddy front yard, two national civil policemen and another team of
military policemen stood guard.
Inside
the house, pictures and other reminders of the two daughters Mrs Munoz
and Cory buried on Friday adorned the walls and tables.
Flicking
through several albums full of photos, Mrs Munoz smiled as she
remembered cherished moments she spent with her two younger daughters as
they grew up.
But
while she spoke of youngest daughter Maria Jose as 'kind, attentive and
obedient', tears welled up in her eyes as she told of Sofia's
'rebellious streak' which, eventually, brought tragedy upon her family
and threw their lives into turmoil.
No comments:
Post a Comment