Mari Luz Cortés case: Trial started in Huelva today/J Morais

I wonder if the McCanns and their team of investigators will now name the accused as their new suspect!

Wouldn't surprise me Anna if they now start accusing this guy. Strange that he mentions Madeleine hmmmmmm!

aqeleega wrote:Wouldn't surprise me Anna if they now start accusing this guy. Strange that he mentions Madeleine hmmmmmm!

He said this....

The main suspect said that he confessed the crime under coercion, adding that due to the pressure that was exercised on him, he could even have confessed to being responsible for the disappearance of Madeleine McCann (the little British girl that disappeared in the Algarve in May of 2007).

....which I think was his way of saying that he got to the point where he didn't know what he was saying, but this could quite easily be taken up by the McCanns and others as some kind of confession. Which one then? Mail, Sun, Star, NOTW?

From 27 March 2008

The McCanns Now Want to question Mari Luz Cortés Killer
27 March 2008 | Posted by Joana Morais
Santiago del Valle is the man who has confessed to the police of accidentally killing the five year old girl, Mari Luz Cortés. His brother, sister and wife, Isabel García, are accused of covering the crime, and of being accomplices. The McCanns 'see' another connection to their case.



The parents of Madeleine McCann, after having demanded yesterday to the Portuguese Police to find out if this man as a link to Madeleine disappearance, and in spite of having being told several times before that there's absolutely no connection between the two girls cases. Now they want to question Santiago del Valle García, the man who has been arrested in Spain in connection with the murder of the five year old from Huelva, Mari Luz Cortés, whose body was found earlier this month 54 days after she disappeared. The McCanns, who left Madeleine (almost 4 years old) and the twin brothers (2 years old) alone in the apartment while dining with friends, 120 meters away in the Resort Tapas Bar, say that they want to ask Mari Luz Killer where he was on May 3, last year, the day that Madeleine disappeared.

What has the disappearance of Mari Luz Cortés to do with Madeleine McCann?

The geographical distance between the locations of El Torrejon in Huelva, Spain and Praia da Luz in Lagos, Portugal is of 120 miles/190 Kilometres, about 2 hours drive. Between the disappearances of Madeleine, on the 3rd of May 2007 and the kidnapping of Mari Luz, on the 13th of January 2008 exactly 8 months and 11 days passed. Mari Luz disappeared during the day time when she went to buy some sweets in a kiosk near to her house, in the neighbourhood of El Torrejon where everyone knows everyone. We now know that it was a crime of opportunity, the girl passed by the house of Santiago, a man with previous paedophilia and sexual abuse records, he lured her to his house. The autopsy reports confirmed Mari Luz was suffocated to death, though Santiago claims that it was an accidental homicide [she had a fall down the stairs]. In the case of Madeleine, well... I'll leave you with this small interview in today's Correio da Manhã with former PJ Chief-Inspector and Criminologist Moita Flores, and his opinion article.

“Mari Luz Case is Different from Maddie’s ", says Francisco Moita Flores

What similarities do you find between the cases Mari Luz?

Francisco Moita Flores – There are none to find. The development of this case in Spain simply confirmed the records of the criminal statistics.

How so?

All the known situations of children's kidnapping have resulted in their death. Generally, like in this case, in an accidental murder.

Do you believe that the difference regarding the Madeleine’s case is the non discovery of the body?

It’s hard to say this out loud but this type of crime has not so many peculiarities. Besides the lack of a body, it is necessary to tell the type of access to the child. If Mari Luz was kidnapped in the street, in a public place, in the case of Madeleine only someone with access to the apartment of the McCanns could carry out the kidnapping, which limits the suspects to just about eight or ten persons.

Source: Correio da Manhã

Correio da Manha - an opinion article by Francisco Moita Flores:

Maddie and Mari Luz

Mari Luz disappeared from a public area. Maddie and her siblings were abandoned by their parents [...] they were exposed to chance

"Every time that a sequence of violent acts occurs, whether homicides, abductions, or terrorist acts, the first exercise that our common sense memory does, is to search for communions and to make analogies that tend to generalistic judgements that puff up one or another solution. When these facts have a strong impact within the media, the level of certainty that is formulated increases even more. It is therefore hardly surprising, that the disappearance of Mari Luz prompted the search for identifications with the Maddie case, leading to the comfortable and opportunistic theory that there are connections between both cases, both being the victims of a sexual predator.

There do not exist. Although close in time, they are absolutely different cases. Beginning with the space where the facts took place. Maddie disappeared from the room where she was sleeping, alongside her siblings, inside the apartment that belonged to her parents, even if only for the duration of their holidays. Mari Luz disappeared from a public space. The time coordinate is also different. The English girl disappeared during the night, the Spanish girl disappeared during the day. The location is also different. Mari Luz disappears in a street of her neighbourhood - and those who know this area in Huelva, know that we are talking about a poor community, of degraded housing or modest construction, which is inhabited by persons with financial difficulties, where the street is used by its inhabitants as a playground. To play on the streets in Torrejon is a socially normal action, there are neighbourhood relationships, the bonds of social mutual recognition are evident. It is normal for a mother to send her child shopping. According to the daily behaviour patterns, it cannot be said that the parents abandoned Mari Luz. That space is the community's territory. Maddie and her siblings were abandoned by their parents, in a foreign country, in a quality resort but, due to their short stay, that was strange to them and to their children. They went out to drink while the children were delivered to chance. But within a safe, controlled unit, without space for an abductor to act naturally. The public space is where abductions take place, by excellence. On streets, in shopping areas, on beaches, or when large crowds meet in open air. The private space, the home, is the territory of love, of violence, of tenderness and of death. But this is not where differences end. Mari Luz's parents immediately communicated the case to authorities. The police heard about Maddie long after the English diplomacy and Sky News did. The parents of Mari Luz expose themselves, in their suffering and distress, to the police and to the media. Maddie's parents chose to make emotional appeals but without a coherent explanation about what happened. They brought in a spokesperson to tell the press what it wanted to hear, but themselves, when it was time, refused to talk and left. The organised web never wanted to discuss the case's details. They chose to insult the PJ and the country that gave them shelter.

The truth, the sad truth, is that two children went missing. One, almost certainly, is dead. The other, the authorities still hope to find her alive. I hope they will. Unfortunately, these are not the first cases, and they will not be the last ones. They are cases from our common life. Unfortunately."



Related: Suspect confesses accidental death of Mari Luz Cortés
28 March
One of the suspects of the death of Mari Luz confessed today to the Spanish police that the girl died in an accident, falling down the stairs. Santiago del Valle García also said that the girl went with him to his house willingly. The man is one of three neighbours of the Cortés family detained yesterday in the afternoon by the Spanish police and he had already a previous record as a paedophile...

Key word is Huelva. I'll keep saying it till my parrot dies - which is going to be a LONG time.

Why did the McCann family travel to Huelva in Spain on August 3 ?

Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_12716.shtml#ixzz1EDhrJ8JA

Ah ....... Huelva day! Errrr ...... leaving Huelva aside until nearer the trials I have always been more than a bit suspicious that Team McCann dived so happily into associating themselves with the Mari Luz case and that she went missing so soon after Madeleine. I can't explain this, so I won't even make an attempt. I can remember that this chap's MO seemed different to his previous activities, but I will have to watch the case closely now ....... because I cannot remember it at all clearly at the moment. I think I need some of that Tanner Tincture medicine.

Off Topic ........ Do any of you sleuthers know where I can purchase some of the Tanner Tincture? Do I need to contact CRG or Stuie?

You want to be able to see in the dark Midas? Howabout essence of carrot for starters.

Wallflower wrote:You want to be able to see in the dark Midas? Howabout essence of carrot for starters.

More likely to just develop carotenemia!

Wallflower wrote:You want to be able to see in the dark Midas? Howabout essence of carrot for starters.

I am munching away on carrots right now, wallflower. And I am boiling and reducing as many as I can to make a puree. But I'm not convinced that carrots are the answer. I think that instead of carrots ...... she may have been offered the stick

Does anybody know where I can get some errrr ...... spectacles that can see around corners?

Sorry to be such a nuisance with my shopping list today ...... but I also want one of those body clocks that the holiday-makers were wearing on May 3rd 2007. The type of body clock that can tell you the precise time when you don't wear a watch or carry a mobile phone. If I could just estimate the time to within a minute like GMc, I would be very grateful. I would be quite happy to be able to calculate ''9.14pm'' ...... I don't need to be precise with seconds and tenths of seconds or anything like that. 9 14pm would suit me fine.

Oh ...... just one more thing ...... I need a Jaunting Belt too I want to conduct a very controlled experiment! If anybody remembers jaunting belts from The Tomorrow People, they are really bloody handy if you need to be able to get from A to B wthout walking anywhere. Which would make it very easy to create the illusion of being in two or even three places at once - if you are quick and have a good memory

I would be interested in an update of how Mari Luz's family feel abut the McCanns today. Has anybody seen anything where they may have spoken about this recently or in the past few months?

Lols Midas

What a coincidence that Mari Luz Cortes should suddenly be in the news today, when Anna and I were discussing just yesterday that this poor little girl's photo was used by the McCanns, without her parents permission and much to their disgust....... in order to further the Maddie abduction façade.

And here we are yet again...... the gruesome twosome have enthusiastically leapt on this particular bandwagon for a second time!

pennylane wrote:What a coincidence that Mari Luz Cortes should suddenly be in the news today, when Anna and I were discussing just yesterday that this poor little girl's photo was used by the McCanns, without her parents permission and much to their disgust....... in order to further the Maddie abduction façade.

And here we are yet again...... the gruesome twosome have enthusiastically leapt on this particular bandwagon for a second time!

Uncanny and very unsavoury. It makes me do this a lot

Midas wrote:

pennylane wrote:What a coincidence that Mari Luz Cortes should suddenly be in the news today, when Anna and I were discussing just yesterday that this poor little girl's photo was used by the McCanns, without her parents permission and much to their disgust....... in order to further the Maddie abduction façade.

And here we are yet again...... the gruesome twosome have enthusiastically leapt on this particular bandwagon for a second time!

Uncanny and very unsavoury. It makes me do this a lot

They make me feel sick and angry in equal measures, Midas.

They are a grotesque pair of liars with zero compunction.

pennylane wrote:

Midas wrote:

pennylane wrote:What a coincidence that Mari Luz Cortes should suddenly be in the news today, when Anna and I were discussing just yesterday that this poor little girl's photo was used by the McCanns, without her parents permission and much to their disgust....... in order to further the Maddie abduction façade.

And here we are yet again...... the gruesome twosome have enthusiastically leapt on this particular bandwagon for a second time!

Uncanny and very unsavoury. It makes me do this a lot

They make me feel sick and angry in equal measures, Midas.

They are a grotesque pair of liars with zero compunction.

Where's that buggy? Where did it end up? Who got rid of it? Why?

SANTIAGO DEL VALLE SENTENCED TO 22 YEARS FOR THE MURDER OF MARI LUZ CORTES

http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_29681.shtml


His sister Rosa was given a nine year sentence for acting as an accomplice
Santiago and Rosa del Valle from the Huelva Court cameras - EFE


Santiago del Valle has been found guilty of the murder of the Huelva five year old, Mari Luz Cortés, and sentenced to 22 years in prison by the court in Huelva.
The court found him guilty of murder and sexual abuse. His sister was handed down a nine year sentence for acting as an accomplice.

The court considered it proved that between the hours of 1630 and 1640 on January 13 2008 the five year old left her home in the El Torrejón district of Huelva to buy sweets at a local kiosk.
As she was returning home she was watched by Santiago del Valle, who had a previous conviction for sexual abuse, from the window of the home he shared with his wife, Isabel García, and his sister Rosa del Valle. In order to satisfy his libidinous mood, he trapped the child by throwing down a white teddy bear and invited her into his home. She climbed the single flight of steps to get into the house, and he started to touch her, gripping her by the wrist and throat to stop her escaping.

Injuries suffered at this time were enough to make the child unconscious, according to the court and Santiago del Valle decided to get rid of the body. He grabbed a supermarket trolley and put Mari Luz inside covering her with a black jacket so she could not be seen. He then woke his sister Rosa, told her what happened, and asked that she help him put the child in his car.

The two then put the trolley in the boot and then headed to marshland near the Estero del Rincón. Thinking her dead, he through her body into the water. The child was still alive but soon drowned.

Rosa headed home, while Santiago disposed of the shopping trolley. When he returned home Rosa told him that Mari Luz’s family had called looking for the child.

The next day, Santiago del Valle and Isabel García headed to the Huelva bus station with a plan to leave the city.

Mari Luz Cortés body was found on March 7 2008, floating face down in the mouths of the Tinto and Odiel rivers.

The court also ordered that Del Valle can no longer live in Huelva, he is banned from communicating with the Mari Luz family for 32 years, and he and his sister have to pay compensation to the family of the victim with 166,000 €.

The lawyer representing Rosa del Valle said it was a bitter sweet verdict as, although there had not been the necessary cooperation, her client had still be considered to be an accomplice. She said she was still considering whether to launch an appeal.

Mari Luz’s father has said that he will hold a press conference on Monday to give his opinions on the sentence. Juan José Cortés has however said on his Facebook page that the sentence is too short.
‘The justice system that we have is lamentable’, he said.

Thank you mara thon.