Overview
- The first session in Castellón heard detailed accounts from a 27-year-old woman and a 17-year-old girl who described sexual abuse within the group over several years.
- The prosecution seeks a combined 326 years in prison for five women and one man on charges that include sexual abuse of minors and illicit association.
- The judge rejected defense requests to suspend the hearing, admitted new prosecution reports over objections, and allowed the minor to ratify her prior cámara Gesell statement.
- Testimony described esoteric justifications for sexual rituals, the use of a device called “la maquinita,” forced breast examinations and exposure, and alleged complicity by a relative of the leader.
- The alleged leader died in prison in 2022, family witnesses recounted coercive sexual “cleansings” and financial contributions to the Vistabella residence, and more witnesses are scheduled to testify on Tuesday.