Sant Martí Murder Suspect, 33, Found Dead in Brians 1 Prison Cell
The man held over the July 28 stabbing of his partner in Sant Martí was found dead in his Brians 1 cell on Nov. 12. What is known about the case.
The 33-year-old man accused of stabbing his partner to death in front of their children in Barcelona’s Sant Martí district was found dead in his cell at Brians 1 prison on Thursday, Nov. 12. Prison sources told local media he had taken his own life. He had been held on remand since the end of July, awaiting trial for homicide.
The man, a Dominican national identified by El Caso as Yarman G., was the only suspect in the killing of Camila K., a 35-year-old Brazilian woman.
How he was found at Brians 1
Staff at the Centro Penitenciario Brians 1 (a prison in Sant Esteve Sesrovires, outside Barcelona) found the body in the morning when they opened his cell to take him to a meal, according to both Metrópoli Abierta and El Caso. El Caso reported that prison medical staff tried to save him but could only confirm his death.
He was housed in module 4, which El Caso describes as the unit for inmates with good behavior. Both outlets report that he had no cellmate and that the prison’s suicide prevention program, known by its Spanish initials PPS, had not been activated for him.
The killing on Calle Andrade
The attack took place on July 28 at a home on Calle Andrade in Sant Martí de Provençals. Metrópoli Abierta put the time at shortly after 19:30. Reports differ on the setting: El Caso says the couple shared the flat, while Metrópoli Abierta says the woman went to the man’s home with the children. Both outlets say he stabbed her repeatedly while the children were present, and that she died of her injuries soon after.
The suspect then drove off. A white Ford he used turned up burned on Calle de Palència minutes later, which Metrópoli Abierta reported was an attempt to throw off investigators. The criminal investigation division of the Mossos d’Esquadra (Catalonia’s police) opened a manhunt.
In the early hours of July 29 he walked into the Mossos station in the Eixample district, still covered in blood and having an anxiety attack. Reports differ slightly on the hour: Metrópoli Abierta says about 02:30, El Caso says two in the morning. He was arrested on suspicion of homicide, and the duty judge sent him to provisional prison at Brians 1.
A violent relationship before the attack
People who knew the couple told Metrópoli Abierta that the woman suffered constant abuse from him. The record also shows the reverse accusation. A couple of weeks before the killing, the Mossos arrested her on suspicion of assaulting him and their two children, who are minors, according to El Caso. A judge released her without precautionary measures, and Metrópoli Abierta reports there was no restraining order between the two.
What it means for the case
The man died before any trial over the July 28 killing took place. According to both reports, the prison had not placed him under its suicide prevention program while he was held over a domestic homicide. Neither outlet reported an official statement from the prison service on why.
The killing shocked neighbors in Sant Martí de Provençals, Metrópoli Abierta reported. Anyone facing or witnessing gender violence in Catalonia can call 900 900 120, a free and confidential line that runs 24 hours a day in several languages and leaves no trace, according to El Caso.
Sources: Metrópoli Abierta, El Caso
