The investigation into the death of flamenco singer Matías de Paula points to a possible sentimental motive. The artist, 52, was shot dead this Friday in broad daylight in Villanueva de la Serena, his hometown, in the province of Badajoz. The crime occurred around 3:00 PM in Rafael Alberti square, an urban area of the Badajoz town.
According to El Mundo, the duty judge has ordered the proceedings to be kept secret while the Police intensify the search for the shooter. The same newspaper suggests that the agents have identified the alleged perpetrator, who allegedly fled in a car that was waiting for him after shooting the singer.
The National Police have taken charge of the investigation to clarify the circumstances of the crime. For now, the published information agrees that the alleged perpetrator has been identified but not arrested. 20minutos, citing the newspaper Hoy, also points out that the suspect hed in a vehicle with two other people and that investigators are working with the hypothesis of a possible sentimental motive.
The judge orders the proceedings to be kept secret
The case is now judicially sealed. According to El Mundo, the judge has ordered the proceedings to be kept secret, a usual decision in homicide investigations when seeking to protect inquiries, testimonies, lines of investigation, or the whereabouts of the alleged perpetrator.
That secrecy limits the available official information, but it does not prevent some relevant clues from having emerged: the crime occurred in broad daylight, in a square in Villanueva de la Serena, the perpetrator allegedly fled in a car, and the Police are working to arrest him.
The investigators' priority is to reconstruct the exact sequence of the attack: how the perpetrator arrived, how many shots were fired, who was in the getaway car, and what relationship existed between the suspect and the victim.
The hypothesis of a sentimental motive
The main novelty of the investigation is the hypothesis of a sentimental motive. According to the information published by El Mundo, the initial indications suggest that Matías de Paula and the suspect had conflicts allegedly related to the latter's ex-wife.
There is no closed judicial conclusion yet. Talking about a sentimental motive does not mean the case is solved, but rather that it is one of the lines that investigators are currently pursuing.
The alleged perpetrator allegedly fled in a car
One of the keys to the case lies in the escape. This fact reinforces the idea that the Police are not only looking for the material author of the shots, but also to clarify if there was collaboration from other people before, during, or after the crime.
El Mundo goes further and points out that the agents interpret the homicide as a planned action due to the way the escape occurred. The investigation will have to determine if these people participated in the preparation of the crime, facilitated the escape, or were simply in the vehicle.
The paramedics could not save the singer's life
After the shots, members of the Judicial Police of Don Benito-Villanueva de la Serena, health services of the Extremadura Health Service, and Local Police agents moved to Rafael Alberti square. Emergency services could do nothing to save the artist's life.
The body was transferred to the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences of Badajoz for the autopsy, while the National Police took over the investigation of the case.
The murder has caused a strong shock in Villanueva de la Serena and in the world of Extremaduran flamenco, where Matías de Paula was a well-known figure both for his artistic career and his teaching work.