Released with the conditions to sign every 15 days and have a fixed address, while being investigated for the manslaughter, is the decision of a judge, confirmed Luis Cubillo, lawyer of the family of the victim, after being notified by the Public Ministry.
The 26-yeard-old man, identified by his last name Blandon, in the early hours of Sunday morning, while driving under the influence of alcohol, ran over David Yanez, a Venezuelan national taking part in the San Jose Half Marathon.
Yanez died in hospital minutes after his arrival.
The drunk driver was arrested by the Policia de Transito (traffic police) after an onside breathalyzer confirmed the inebriation of the driver, who ran past a traffic police checkpoint, set up for the safety of the runners, striking Yanez.
For their part, the Fiscalia (prosecutor’s office) had requested pre-trial detention (remand) against the suspect.
“At a hearing that ended at 4:00am on Monday, the Prosecutor’s Office requested a preventive detention against the suspect, as a precautionary measure, however, the Juzgado Penal de Turno Extraordinario (Extraordinary Criminal Criminal Court) rejected the petition. The decision has been appealed by the Fiscalia and is waiting for the Court to set a date and time for a new hearing, in which the request for preventive custody will be reiterated,” the press office of the Public Prosecutor’s Office reported.
“For me, there is no guilt, there is only malice. The person who gets behind the wheel drunk has malice,” said Luis Cubillo while waiting for two brothers of David Yanez, who arrived this morning from Venezuela to repatriate the body of his family.
The incident occurred at 6:40 am on the south side of the Parque Nicaragua, in front of the Zapote Church. The driver fled the scene but was stopped by the traffic police some 600 meters (six blocks) from the incident.
Although the athlete was still alive when he was taken to the Calderon Guardia hospital by private ambulance, of the several hired by race organizes, Yanez, who was 35 years old, was pronounced dead at 6:59 am by doctors of the medical center.
