A 20-year-old young man arrested for the murder of Mateo, an 11-year-old boy who was fatally stabbed last Sunday in Mocejón (Toledo, 5,000 inhabitants), has been remanded in custody without bail by order of the Court of Instruction number 3 of Toledo, according to sources from the Superior Court of Justice of Castilla-La Mancha. The investigating judge charges the young man, Juan P. C., with a murder and has requested that he be transferred to an “adequate center, unit, or department” given his “disability situation.” The judge has also lifted the secrecy of the case, which is still under investigation. Before taking the statement, the investigating judge requested a report from the forensic doctor, which determined the need for adaptations to be made to accommodate the suspect’s disability during the interrogation, as mandated by the Criminal Procedure Law (LECrim).
A pretrial inmate entering a penitentiary undergoes an evaluation by the technical team, which studies the case and then determines the placement of the new inmate based on their specific needs, according to sources from penitentiary institutions. It is the responsibility of the courts to decide to send a prisoner to a psychiatric penitentiary center, as stated in the penitentiary regulations, which list the circumstances under which this decision can be made, depending on the issuance of forensic reports. Investigators have been working tirelessly since 10:00 am last Sunday, when the fatal stabbing of the boy occurred while he was playing football with friends at the municipal sports center. The analysis of the knife found with “human biological remains” in a vacant lot near the father of the arrested person’s house is still pending. The knife, with a sharp point and brown handle similar to those used to cut steaks, has been sent to the Forensic Laboratory of the Guardia Civil for examination.
The incident occurred at ten in the morning last Sunday when the victim was playing with two other minors at the Angel Tardío sports facility located on a hill on the outskirts of the village, near a residential area. At that moment, a young man with his face covered entered the facilities, approached the group of minors, and attacked the boy. After the stabbing, he fled. Since the beginning, both the family spokesperson, Asell Sánchez-Vicente, and the villagers of this small town indicated that the perpetrator must be familiar with the area, as he accessed through a gap in a wire fence surrounding the premises, which was closed at that time. The investigation has been proceeding cautiously due to the secrecy imposed by the Court of Instruction number 3 of Toledo.
The arrest of the young man – who reportedly admitted to part of the events to the Guardia Civil agents – took place on Monday afternoon. Searches were then carried out at the father’s residence – where the suspect spends time, although he lives in Madrid with his mother – and at his grandmother’s house, where he allegedly went on Sunday, the day of Mateo’s murder. According to the father’s account, named Fernando, his son left on Sunday morning, as he did every day, to the countryside, where he usually runs and walks. He then went to his grandmother’s house, as usual, and his grandmother changed his clothes. Around 11:00, father and son went to Mass together and then returned to the grandmother’s house. The father of the suspect has stated that his son has a 75% intellectual disability and does not take medication. He claimed that the young man lacks social skills and responded affirmatively to the agents’ questions. He also mentioned that he had spoken with him, and he said “things that did not make sense,” such as seeing “masks.”
Mateo was buried yesterday in his village in an emotional ceremony where the family and friends were supported by neighbors. The family expressed their gratitude for the support and coverage from the media, the work of the Security Forces and the Guardia Civil, the Toledo Provincial Council, and the Government Delegation. They condemned the “cruel attack” on their relative Mateo and spokesperson Asell Sánchez asked not to criminalize anyone “by ethnicity, race, color, or belief” and let the Guardia Civil do their work to catch the assailant. “They have been our shield in these difficult times we are experiencing.” They also asked for calm among the residents and respect for the suspect’s family in this case. “We do not seek revenge, we want justice and for the person who murdered Mateo to face the full weight of the law,” they stated.
