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| {{Short description|1992 triple child murder case in Alcàsser, Valencia, Spain}} | |||
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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2018}} | ||
| {{incomplete|date=March 2016}} | |||
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| {{Infobox person | {{Infobox person | ||
| | name = Desirée Hernández<br />Miriam García<br />Antonia Gómez | |||
| |name = ], ] and ] | |||
| |image = | | image = The Alcasser girls.png | ||
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| image_upright = 1.20 | ||
| | caption = Poster asking for information regarding the disappearance of the Alcàsser Girls (Desirée Hernández, Miriam García, and Antonia Gómez) | |||
| |caption = | |||
| |death_place = La Romana, near Pantano de Tous (Valencia) | | death_place = La Romana, near Pantano de Tous (]), Spain | ||
| | birth_date = Desirée: {{Birth date|1978|2|7|df=y}}<br />Miriam: {{Birth date|1978|7|28|df=y}}<br />Antonia: {{Birth date|1977|5|25|df=y}} | |||
| |bodies_discovered = a ditch near an abandoned house | |||
| | disappeared_date = 13 November 1992 | |||
| ⚫ | |death_cause = Shooting after |
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| death_date = November 1992 | ||
| ⚫ | | death_cause = Shooting after torture | ||
| |nationality = | |||
| | body_discovered = 27 January 1993 | |||
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| | nationality = ] | |||
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| '''Desirée Hernández Folch''', '''Miriam García Iborra''', and '''Antonia Gómez Rodríguez''', collectively known as the '''Alcàsser Girls''' (]: ''Les xiquetes d'Alcàsser'', ]: ''Las niñas de Alcácer''), were three teenage girls from ], ], Spain, who were ], ]d, ]d and murdered after ] to visit a nightclub in the nearby town of ] on 13 November 1992. The case became notorious in Spain because of the brutality of the crimes, the highly-criticised police investigation and the resulting media coverage. | |||
| ] revealed the existence of seven hairs with seven distinct ] profiles, none of them belonging to any of the girls or either of their alleged murderers, ] and Miguel Ricart. Of the two, Ricart was the only one jailed; the whereabouts of Anglés, still among ]'s most wanted criminals, remains unknown. | |||
| ==Disappearance== | |||
| '''Miriam García Iborra''',''' Antonia (Toñi) Gómez Rodríguez''' and '''Desirée Hernández Folch''', known as '''The Alcàsser Girls''' ({{lang-es|link=no|'''Las niñas de Alcàsser'''}}), were three teenage girls from ], a small town near ], ], who were ], ]d, ], ]d and ]ed after ] to get to a disco in the nearby town of ] in late 1992. It is widely regarded as one of the darkest and most haunting criminal cases in Spanish history due to the extreme violence with which it was committed and the details of the ]. It shocked the country, and the images of their faces were very prominent in media coverage. Posters were published in various languages throughout Spain and abroad. The initial uncertainty of the girls' whereabouts and the increasing fear about the nocturnal risks facing teenagers added to the sense of unease. | |||
| ⚫ | On 13 November 1992,<ref name="ElPais071292">, ''El País'', 7 December 1992.</ref> Miriam García, Antonia 'Toñi' Gómez, and Desirée Hernández, all from the municipality of ], sought to attend a ] party that was going to be held at Coolor, a popular ] located on the outskirts of ], four kilometres away. Miriam asked her father, Fernando García, to pick them up and drive them to the club, but he was suffering from ] and was unable to do so. The girls thus resorted to ], as they had done the previous summer.<ref name="capit01"> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160111221818/http://es.scribd.com/doc/118330287/Libro-Censurado-de-Juan-Ignacio-Blanco-Muerte-Ninas-Alcasser#scribd |date=11 January 2016 }}. ''¿Qué pasó en Alcácer?''. Chapter 1.</ref> A young couple from Alcàsser took the three girls to a petrol station near Picassent, where a resident witnessed them climb into a sedan {{ndash}} thought to be a white ] {{ndash}} carrying a group of men. It was the last time the girls would be seen alive. | ||
| ⚫ | ==Crime scene reconstruction== | ||
| ⚫ | Miguel Ricart was the only person charged regarding the crime. According to his statement, he and ] picked up the girls at a petrol station. When the men continued driving past the nightclub the girls had requested to go to, they began to scream, resulting in Anglés ] them with the handle of a ] handgun. They then headed to a derelict, abandoned house near a place known as ''Barranco de La Romana'', in a very isolated and mountainous area, close to the ] dam. Here, two of the girls were raped. Afterwards, they were taken to ] in-search of food, but could not escape. The men then raped the third girl, over two hours later. After being tortured and toyed-with for hours throughout the night, the girls were made to enter a pit (which the men had already dug), where they were assaulted further. According to the official ], Hernández suffered a traumatic, unprofessional removal of her right ] and ] with a sharpened (yet semi-blunt) object, and was then stabbed twice in the back. The other girls were stoned and beaten with tree branches (which did not kill them) before finally being shot and buried. García's corpse showed evidence of ]l wounds caused by a sharp-edged object, possibly from sticks or wood, and potentially inflicted ]. The killers attempted to retrieve their spent shell casings and clean the vehicle of any possible evidence, though several items linking them to the crime scene would be found.<ref name="930128FB">, Francesc Bayarri, ''El País'', 28 January 1993.</ref><ref name="930129JDFB">, Jesús Duva, Francesc Bayarri, ''El País'', 29 January 1993.</ref> | ||
| ==Investigation== | |||
| The case was also very relevant due to a highly criticized investigation full of mistakes and gaps. The autopsies revealed the existence of seven hairs with seven distinct ] profiles that belonged neither to the girls or their two alleged murderers, the men who drove the car they hitchhiked. Of the two, ] was the only one jailed, whereas the whereabouts of ] are not known and he is still among ]'s most wanted ]s. Many observers claim that the official version was a coverup to hide the reality of the triple murder, and several theories were proposed about its main motive, from satanic rituals to a ] recording, and even including a crime involving the highest political circles in Spain. | |||
| From the moment the girls were reported ], an intensive search was conducted to try to find them. Their bodies were found on 27 January 1993, 75 days after their murders, by two ]s in a ] located near ''La Romana'' ravine. Previous heavy rains softened the land, causing the corpses to appear from their improvised grave. It was soon confirmed that they had apparently been tortured and murdered. At the scene, the ] found one of Ricart's gloves, a ] referral note on behalf of Anglés' brother Enrique, and a shell casing. Spanish television channels quickly rushed to Alcàsser to cover the grief of the girls' families and the overwhelmed town. | |||
| Anglés was not at home when the ] appeared in search of Enrique, leading to a national ]. The last sighting of Anglés in Spain was near ], after which he went to ], and ] on board the ] ''City of Plymouth''. He is assumed to have died when he reportedly jumped overboard off the coast of ], either instantly or from subsequent ] and/or drowning. Alternative theories state that Anglés evaded capture and, as a native of ], is traveling under his ].<ref>{{Cite web|last=archyde|date=2020-02-23|title=Antonio Anglés continues to serve for Interpol|url=https://www.archyde.com/antonio-angles-continues-to-serve-for-interpol/|access-date=2021-03-19|website=Archyde|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=New info emerges on notorious killer Antonio Anglés who may have fled to Ireland|url=https://www.sundayworld.com/crime/world-crime/new-info-emerges-on-notorious-spanish-killer-who-may-have-fled-to-ireland-on-ship-40826864.html|access-date=2021-10-24|website=sundayworld|language=en}}</ref> | |||
| The event also marked a turning point in Spanish ], which quickly focused on the anguish and suffering of the girls' families and the local people. It is often cited as the zenith of ] in Spain, in which anything went in the name of morbidity and high audience rates. | |||
| ==Aftermath== | |||
| ⚫ | == |
||
| ] | |||
| Miguel Ricart was sentenced to 170 years in prison; however, at the time, the maximum physical prison sentence was 30 years, and this was the most time he was expected to serve behind bars. He was later released in 2013, after 21 years,<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-09-04|title=20 años de la condena de Miguel Ricart y el escabroso seguimiento del crimen de las 'niñas de Alcàsser'|url=https://www.lavanguardia.com/local/valencia/20170905/43959951408/ninas-alcasser-condena-miguel-ricart.html|access-date=2021-03-19|website=La Vanguardia|language=es}}</ref> following a ruling by the ]. The Court of Justice declared that using the ] to prevent sentence reduction for good behaviour, post-conviction, was against the principle that a prisoner's sentence "cannot be increased retroactively".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/10489860/Spain-forced-to-release-terrorists-and-murderers-by-European-human-rights-ruling.html|title=Spain forced to release terrorists and murderers by European human rights ruling|website=The Telegraph|date=2 December 2013 |language=en-UK|access-date=2 October 2020}}</ref> | |||
| Upon his release, Ricart disappeared from the spotlight, apparently living for some time in the ]. He was later identified in ] in 2020, after being caught trying to buy illicit substances in a "squat" or "drughouse". | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| The trial of the two arrested suspects became a ], sensationalistic showcase. In a rather controversial move, news and other television programs aired gruesome crime scene photos, both of the location of the girls' bodies and of the bodies themselves (preceded by televised warnings for viewing audiences). This decision was widely criticised. Many felt that publicising the graphic crime scene photos was unethical due to the girls' young ages, and that it violated not only their privacy (and that of their families), but indeed compromised the integrity of the entire case—a case which thus may never be solved.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Montero|first=Luis Miguel|date=2019-08-03|title=¿Dónde está Miguel RIcart?, asesino de las tres niñas de Alcàsser|url=https://elcierredigital.com/investigacion/121949757/donde-esta-miguel-ricart-asesino-ninas-alcasser.html|access-date=2021-03-19|website=elcierredigital.com}}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| == |
==Books== | ||
| *Jenny Ashford – ''The Faceless Villain: Volume Three'' | |||
| *Nerea Barjola - "The Sexist Microphysics of Power" | |||
| ==Netflix documentary== | |||
| From that moment, an intensive search was conducted to try to find the girls' bodies. They were found on January 27, 1993, 75 days after their demise—by two ]s in a ] located near ''La Romana''. The heavy rains of the previous days softened the land and the corpses appeared from their improvised grave. It was soon confirmed that they had apparently been murdered, having suffered unimaginable tortures before they died. The ] ] later found at the scene one of Ricart's gloves, a referral note of the ] on behalf of ] (brother of Antonio) and a ]. TV channels quickly rushed to Alcàsser to broadcast live and provide coverage of the grief of girls' families and the overwhelmed town. Antonio Angles was not at home when the ] ] appeared in search of his brother Enrique. He escaped while being hunted by the Civil Guard and was about to be captured in the town of Villamarchante. The last trace of him in Spain was when he was near ], ] for a few days, after which he went to ], and ] on board the ] ''City of Plymouth''. He is reported to have jumped overboard when the ship arrived off the coast of ], and is assumed to have either died instantly, or from subsequent ] and/or drowning. | |||
| {{Main|The Alcàsser Murders}} | |||
| *] released a five-part documentary series entitled ''The Alcàsser Murders'' in June 2019. There are several interviews included in it: {{ill|Juan Ignacio Blanco|es}}, Fernando García, Jerónimo Boloix, Paco Lobatón, Neusa Martins and Luisa Gómez. | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| The controversial trial of the two arrested suspects became a ] showcase, featuring gruesome pictures of the teenagers' corpses, preceded by standard warnings to the audiences. | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| == |
==References== | ||
| {{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| * ibb | |||
| * Crime & Capital Punishment Forums | |||
| * Flickr | |||
| * Unresolved | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Alcasser Girls}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Alcasser Girls, The}} | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
Latest revision as of 19:27, 28 December 2024
1992 triple child murder case in Alcàsser, Valencia, Spain
| Desirée Hernández Miriam García Antonia Gómez | |
|---|---|
 Poster asking for information regarding the disappearance of the Alcàsser Girls (Desirée Hernández, Miriam García, and Antonia Gómez) | |
| Born | Desirée: (1978-02-07)7 February 1978 Miriam: (1978-07-28)28 July 1978 Antonia: (1977-05-25)25 May 1977 |
| Disappeared | 13 November 1992 |
| Died | November 1992 La Romana, near Pantano de Tous (Valencia), Spain |
| Cause of death | Shooting after torture |
| Body discovered | 27 January 1993 |
| Nationality | Spanish |
Desirée Hernández Folch, Miriam García Iborra, and Antonia Gómez Rodríguez, collectively known as the Alcàsser Girls (Valencian: Les xiquetes d'Alcàsser, Spanish: Las niñas de Alcácer), were three teenage girls from Alcàsser, Valencia, Spain, who were kidnapped, raped, tortured and murdered after hitchhiking to visit a nightclub in the nearby town of Picassent on 13 November 1992. The case became notorious in Spain because of the brutality of the crimes, the highly-criticised police investigation and the resulting media coverage.
Autopsies revealed the existence of seven hairs with seven distinct DNA profiles, none of them belonging to any of the girls or either of their alleged murderers, Antonio Anglés and Miguel Ricart. Of the two, Ricart was the only one jailed; the whereabouts of Anglés, still among Interpol's most wanted criminals, remains unknown.
Disappearance
On 13 November 1992, Miriam García, Antonia 'Toñi' Gómez, and Desirée Hernández, all from the municipality of Alcàsser, sought to attend a secondary school party that was going to be held at Coolor, a popular discothèque located on the outskirts of Picassent, four kilometres away. Miriam asked her father, Fernando García, to pick them up and drive them to the club, but he was suffering from influenza and was unable to do so. The girls thus resorted to hitchhiking, as they had done the previous summer. A young couple from Alcàsser took the three girls to a petrol station near Picassent, where a resident witnessed them climb into a sedan – thought to be a white Opel Corsa – carrying a group of men. It was the last time the girls would be seen alive.
Crime scene reconstruction
Miguel Ricart was the only person charged regarding the crime. According to his statement, he and Antonio Anglés picked up the girls at a petrol station. When the men continued driving past the nightclub the girls had requested to go to, they began to scream, resulting in Anglés pistol-whipping them with the handle of a Star Model BM handgun. They then headed to a derelict, abandoned house near a place known as Barranco de La Romana, in a very isolated and mountainous area, close to the Tous dam. Here, two of the girls were raped. Afterwards, they were taken to Catadau in-search of food, but could not escape. The men then raped the third girl, over two hours later. After being tortured and toyed-with for hours throughout the night, the girls were made to enter a pit (which the men had already dug), where they were assaulted further. According to the official autopsy, Hernández suffered a traumatic, unprofessional removal of her right nipple and areola with a sharpened (yet semi-blunt) object, and was then stabbed twice in the back. The other girls were stoned and beaten with tree branches (which did not kill them) before finally being shot and buried. García's corpse showed evidence of vaginal wounds caused by a sharp-edged object, possibly from sticks or wood, and potentially inflicted postmortem. The killers attempted to retrieve their spent shell casings and clean the vehicle of any possible evidence, though several items linking them to the crime scene would be found.
Investigation
From the moment the girls were reported missing, an intensive search was conducted to try to find them. Their bodies were found on 27 January 1993, 75 days after their murders, by two beekeepers in a ditch located near La Romana ravine. Previous heavy rains softened the land, causing the corpses to appear from their improvised grave. It was soon confirmed that they had apparently been tortured and murdered. At the scene, the Spanish Civil Guard found one of Ricart's gloves, a Social Security referral note on behalf of Anglés' brother Enrique, and a shell casing. Spanish television channels quickly rushed to Alcàsser to cover the grief of the girls' families and the overwhelmed town.
Anglés was not at home when the Civil Guard appeared in search of Enrique, leading to a national manhunt. The last sighting of Anglés in Spain was near Minglanilla, Cuenca, after which he went to Lisbon, and stowed away on board the container ship City of Plymouth. He is assumed to have died when he reportedly jumped overboard off the coast of Ireland, either instantly or from subsequent cold and/or drowning. Alternative theories state that Anglés evaded capture and, as a native of Brazil, is traveling under his Brazilian passport.
Aftermath
Miguel Ricart was sentenced to 170 years in prison; however, at the time, the maximum physical prison sentence was 30 years, and this was the most time he was expected to serve behind bars. He was later released in 2013, after 21 years, following a ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union. The Court of Justice declared that using the Parot doctrine to prevent sentence reduction for good behaviour, post-conviction, was against the principle that a prisoner's sentence "cannot be increased retroactively".
Upon his release, Ricart disappeared from the spotlight, apparently living for some time in the South of France. He was later identified in Madrid in 2020, after being caught trying to buy illicit substances in a "squat" or "drughouse".
The trial of the two arrested suspects became a primetime, sensationalistic showcase. In a rather controversial move, news and other television programs aired gruesome crime scene photos, both of the location of the girls' bodies and of the bodies themselves (preceded by televised warnings for viewing audiences). This decision was widely criticised. Many felt that publicising the graphic crime scene photos was unethical due to the girls' young ages, and that it violated not only their privacy (and that of their families), but indeed compromised the integrity of the entire case—a case which thus may never be solved.
Books
- Jenny Ashford – The Faceless Villain: Volume Three
- Nerea Barjola - "The Sexist Microphysics of Power"
Netflix documentary
Main article: The Alcàsser Murders- Netflix released a five-part documentary series entitled The Alcàsser Murders in June 2019. There are several interviews included in it: Juan Ignacio Blanco [es], Fernando García, Jerónimo Boloix, Paco Lobatón, Neusa Martins and Luisa Gómez.
See also
- Aguilar de Campoo case
- List of fugitives from justice who disappeared
- List of solved missing person cases: pre-2000
- Marc Dutroux
References
- ¡Antonia, Desirée, Miriam!, El País, 7 December 1992.
- Juan Ignacio Blanco Archived 11 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine. ¿Qué pasó en Alcácer?. Chapter 1.
- Hallados los cadáveres de las tres niñas desaparecidas de Alcàsser con indicios de haber sido asesinadas, Francesc Bayarri, El País, 28 January 1993.
- Tres detenidos por el asesinato de las niñas de Alcásser, Jesús Duva, Francesc Bayarri, El País, 29 January 1993.
- archyde (23 February 2020). "Antonio Anglés continues to serve for Interpol". Archyde. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- "New info emerges on notorious killer Antonio Anglés who may have fled to Ireland". sundayworld. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
- "20 años de la condena de Miguel Ricart y el escabroso seguimiento del crimen de las 'niñas de Alcàsser'". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 4 September 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- "Spain forced to release terrorists and murderers by European human rights ruling". The Telegraph. 2 December 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- Montero, Luis Miguel (3 August 2019). "¿Dónde está Miguel RIcart?, asesino de las tres niñas de Alcàsser". elcierredigital.com. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
External links
- "All the differents theories about this crime" ibb
- "The way from Alcàsser to La Romana" Flickr
- "Unresolved, The Alcasser Girls" Unresolved