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Judge Orders Jury Trial in Esther López Case, Sends Accused to Provincial Court

A provincial court will now schedule a jury trial following a nearly four-year investigation.

Overview

  • An investigating judge opened oral proceedings under the popular jury procedure against the sole defendant, Óscar S. M.
  • He faces a primary charge of murder with subsidiary counts of homicide, offenses against moral integrity, illegal detention, and failure to render aid.
  • The case file has been remitted to the Audiencia Provincial de Valladolid, which will set the date for the oral hearing, and the parties have 15 days to appear.
  • The court set a €230,000 civil guarantee for the accused, who remains free and risks asset seizure if the bond is not posted.
  • Sentencing requests diverge, with prosecutors seeking 18 years in prison and the victim’s family asking for 39 and 33 years respectively.