A man who invited a woman he had never met before on holiday has been accused of her murder.
American citizen, John Poulos, 35, is facing a possible sentence of over 35 years from Colombian prosecutors for allegedly killing his girlfriend, 21-year-old Colombian DJ, Valentina Trespalacios.
The horrific case has sparked outrage in Colombia and international attention after a tweet shared by Poulos in December in response to a viral Twitter challenge resurfaced.
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On December 17, 2022, a Twitter user asked users to share their ‘craziest first date’ to which Poulos replied with a selfie of himself and his girlfriend and answered: “Invited a Colombian woman on vacation without meeting her first - now we’re getting married.”
However, just over a month later on 22 January, 2023, Trespalacios was dead.
The pair had been dating for almost a year when the well-known DJ was killed. Poulos traveled to Bogotá on 19 January and the next day he moved her into an apartment he claimed to have rented long-term in the north part of the city.
The divorced father-of-three, who is originally from Wisconsin, allegedly had sex with Trespalacios before beating her and choking her to death at the apartment in the early hours of 22 January.
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A surveillance camera close to the apartment allegedly shows Poulos using a supermarket trolley to move luggage bags, one of which contained his girlfriend’s body stuffed into it, to a car. The bag was covered with a blanket because Trespalacios’ head was visible.
Footage shows the man prosecutors believe to be Poulos park the supermarket trolley next to his rental Volkswagen Voyage car and struggling to pick up the luggage bag before eventually placing it in his trunk.
He drove to the south side of Bogotá where he abandoned the suitcase which had his girlfriend’s body inside in a dumpster. A homeless man searching for recyclables discovered Trespalacios’ body the same day.
Autopsy reports confirm the cause of death being strangulation and blunt force trauma.
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Meanwhile, Poulos tried to escape the country by heading to El Dorado International Airport on 24 January, however, he was arrested moments before he attempted to board a flight to Turkey. He allegedly planned to take a flight from Turkey to Montenegro, which doesn’t have an extradition treaty with Colombia.
He has been in custody since 25 January as prosecutors aim to get him behind bars for at least 35 years for the killing.
José Martínez, director of the Colombian capital's prosecution office, said back in March that they are hoping to win the trial because of the ‘compelling technical evidence’.
Speaking to news service Noticias RCN, Martinez said: “The highest penalty is requested with all the aggravating circumstances… More than 35 years in prison.
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“All the probative material, all the compelling technical evidence. We hope to win the trial and achieve an exemplary sentence for the city of Bogotá in this type of case.”
Poulos was arraigned in a Colombian court on Friday, 14 April. His defense team alleged that his capture was illegal and he suffered inhumane treatment, CBS58 reported.
The trial began on Monday, 17 April and the attorney’s general office requested a 50-year sentence.
Topics: Crime, True Crime, World News, News, Twitter, Viral
Gregory Robinson