A DNA sample on the zipper of a backpack and an arduous investigation of almost two years, which included the creation of a family tree, has allowed the National Police to solve the murder of David, a 21-year-old student whose body was found with gunshot wounds in a mountainous area of the province of Malaga in August 2022. The suspect, arrested last week in Valdebótoa (Badajoz), is a well-known individual to the security forces. He is Jose Jurado Montilla, 62 years old, also known as El Titi or Dynamite Montilla, who had previously been convicted for multiple murders in the 1980s in Malaga and had spent more than 20 years in prison. The investigating judge has ordered his provisional detention. The arrested individual denies the allegations, according to sources from the Higher Court of Justice of Andalusia.
The investigation began on August 29, 2022, after David’s parents called the police to report that they could not locate their son, who had told them he was heading to a family estate in the area known as Los Montes to pick carob pods. The next morning, David’s body was found in a location known as Los Ciegos with two gunshot wounds, one from a bullet and the second at close range with pellets. The investigation was described as complex due to the location of the crime in a remote mountainous area with no witnesses or neighbors. The lack of a clear motive added another challenge to the investigation, as David was described as a model student with no known issues.
Initial inquiries focused on interviewing hunters, forest rangers, landowners, and residents in the area David had described encountering a suspicious older man with a gun near his family’s shed, whom he had offered water to in an attempt to gain his trust. Police questioned over 60 individuals based on these initial clues, but progress was slow. Eventually, a breakthrough came from examining over 60 samples collected at the crime scene, leading to over 150 DNA tests and a detailed family tree that identified José Jurado as a potential suspect. Further investigation revealed his criminal history and past convictions for multiple homicides in the late 1980s.
The crucial breakthrough came from analyzing the DNA found on the victim’s backpack zipper, which matched partially with a sample on the police database. This led to a detailed genealogical search that traced José Jurado’s ancestry back to the late 19th century, despite attempts to change his identity after his previous convictions. Following his arrest in Badajoz, DNA tests confirmed Jurado’s connection to the crime, linking him to the recovered evidence from the victim’s backpack. Jurado had a notorious criminal history, including the murders of tourists in El Chorro and other individuals in the late 1980s.
José Jurado’s arrest has brought closure to the case of David’s murder after nearly two years of investigation and the pursuit of a complex trail of evidence. The forensic analysis and genealogical research conducted by the police were crucial in identifying the suspect and linking him to the crime scene. Jurado’s previous convictions for multiple homicides highlight the importance of thorough police work in resolving cases and bringing perpetrators to justice. The collaboration between different police units and the use of advanced forensic techniques were instrumental in solving this challenging case, providing some relief to the victim’s family and closure to the community.
