The body of Valentina Trespalacios was found inside a suitcase in a garbage container in the Los Cámbulos neighborhood, west of the capital; That news continues to shock an entire country since January 22, 2023.
The next day, Carlos Trespalacios, the young woman’s uncle, told Snail News that “the girl appeared in Fontibón, dismembered.” He also revealed that Valentina “went out on Friday with her fiancé, a day of partying. She was sharing in her WhatsApp statuses that she was with him and that was all we know.”
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The first discovery was made by a recycler, who notified the police after finding the body. Carlos Augusto Prieto Castro, the uniformed man who opened the blue suitcase that contained the body, and Juan Sebastián Moralez, the forensic doctor in charge of the autopsy, determined that The cause of death had been asphyxia due to strangulation, with evidence of scratches on the face and bruises on the head and back.
The investigation pointed from the beginning to John Poulos, Valentina’s romantic partner and the last to see her alive. He was identified as a US citizen who had had a one-year relationship with the young woman. On January 25, it was learned that authorities had collected critical evidence, including security camera recordings that showed Poulos leaving with a suitcase similar to the one found, and testimonies from family members and Trespalacios’ ex-partner that described Poulos as a person possessive
Poulos had fled to Panama two days after the murder. The Police used this video, in which the man is seen taking the suitcase out of the trunk of the car, throwing it into the container and quickly returning to the vehicle to flee, as evidentiary material. After that, Judge 24 of guarantees issued an arrest warrant against the foreigner. On January 27, he was detained at the Tocumen International Airport in Panama City.
During his capture, the American’s defense argued that his rights had not been respected, which was rejected by the Colombian justice system. At the charging hearing, Poulos was accused of aggravated femicide and concealment of evidence, but they were not charged. Despite this, he was placed under restraint in La Picota prison in Bogotá.
The trial began on December 4 with accusations of aggravated femicide and concealment of evidence, for which Poulos initially pleaded not guilty. In an interview with Focus NewsPoulos justified his lack of memory about the alleged events by mentioning drug use.
On March 6, John Poulos confessed his guilt in the murder of Trespalacios, although he declared that the act was not premeditated. In his testimony, he expressed: “I was destroyed, I loved her… I made a horrible decision, I tried to escape and put her in the blue suitcase.”
On March 4, 2024, Poulos broke his silence on the case and described his relationship with Valentina as unstable and pointed out that he met her through the Tinder application in April 2022. During his testimony, he mentioned various trips and only three meetings. between the two, but stated that their relationship had not been constant or solid.
Finally, On June 4, 2024, the judge issued a sentence that sentenced Poulos to 512 months in prison, equivalent to 42 years and 8 months, as responsible for the aggravated femicide of DJ Valentina Trespalacios. Poulos will not be able to approach the victim’s family for 20 years and will be expelled from Colombia after serving his sentence; He will also not receive benefits such as a reduced sentence or house in prison.
