COSTA RICA NEWS – By Henry Morales Navarro, Vozdeguanacaste – The state of insecurity that Samara residents complain of was confirmed yet again by two new crimes. This time, there were two sexual assaults, one in the area of Cantarana and another in downtown Samara.
The Nicoya District Attorney’s office confirmed that during the early morning of October 13, they handled a case of rape involving a 22-year-old American woman. The only suspect for the crime has the last names Angulo Murillo.
According to the Public Ministry’s account of the event, the victim let them know that she would be leaving the country, for which reason the attorney’s office coordinated an anticipatory evidence collection session. In other words, the victim’s statement was taken before the trial, in the presence of a government judge, a district attorney and the defense attorney for the accused. That took place on Monday, October 20.
According to Omar Chavarria, chief of the Nicoya Public Force, the young woman was in the community studying Spanish and informed the police the same night as the rape.
Some area residents say that the victim and the suspect, a Columbian, had developed some type of friendship, so it is assumed that the aggressor took advantage of his relationship with the young woman to commit the sexual abuse. However, it has not been possible to corroborate that rumor or others, such as the allegation that the rape took place at the beach or that the suspect was a taxi driver. The attorney’s office has not released an official version of the events since the case is still under investigation.
In addition, residents say that Angulo Murillo, known as “El Gringo,” had been living in the Cantarana area for more than a year and that no one knew how he made a living.
Also on October 13, judicial agents and the Public Force arrested another subject, with the last names Obando Sanchez, a 20-year-old Samara resident. The man is accused of sexually abusing a nine-year-old boy.
The official complaint was filed by the victim’s mother.
For now, those arrested have to fulfill a preventative prison term in the penitentiary in Liberia while the investigation process is carried out. Obando Sanchez received a sentence of six months, while Angulo Murillo will serve three months.
