The Court of Valencia held this Tuesday the second session of the popular jury trial against Jorge Ignacio Palma, accused of murdering three women –Marta Calvo, Arliene Ramos and Lady Marcela Vargas– and sexually abusing another eight by introducing large cocaine stones into them. purity in the genitals without their consent.
The two forensic doctors from the Institute of Legal Medicine of Valencia who have appeared during the hearing have agreed to point out, in view of the victims’ accounts, that the narcotic effect that this drug produced in prostituted women does not correspond to the euphoria that generates in those who habitually consume it.
Therefore, they have concluded that they were possibly exposed to another toxicant. “We do not know what substance was in that product that was administered,” clarified one of them, who described adulterated cocaine as “much more dangerous.”
In that sense, they have focused on the fact that this drug is soluble in water, but, nevertheless, it lasted for hours in a humid place like the vagina, so they believe that there was something that weighed it down and turned the powder into rock. . The body of Lady Marcela, for example, had a dose of cocaine in the blood –9.31 milligrams per liter– well above what is considered lethal –between 0.25 and 5–.
The body of Marta Calvo, the 25-year-old girl who has been missing since November 7, 2019, has not yet been found. The defendant turned himself in to the Civil Guard and confessed that he had dismembered her and distributed her remains in containers. It was precisely the media impact of this case that made it possible to uncover a trail of similar acts attributed to the same man.
The victims recognized his face in the media or even the facade of the house in the Valencian town of Manuel in which Calvo died. During this Tuesday’s session, the head of Homicide of the Valencia Civil Guard has confirmed that Jorge Palma’s modus operandi coincides for fifteen months of horror. He contacted by WhatsApp with girls who advertised their sexual services on websites to hold “white parties” using a “significant amount of cocaine”.
In fact, he had to hold it “with both hands” and was “very stubborn” with those who preferred not to consume. Five of the eight stories also coincide, the person in charge of the investigation has pointed out, with performing massages in which he introduced high-purity cocaine into the genitals and caused states of drowsiness and even loss of consciousness.
Also, on at least three occasions, those who agreed to have a drink encouraged by Palma, said they had entered “deep sleep” and do not know how long they were in that situation. At first, the women were reluctant to file a complaint because of their status as sex workers, but they believed it was important to do so to avoid further attacks.
The jury has also heard the devastating testimony of one of the survivors, who ratified this pattern point by point. “He is a monster,” she asserted. “It has ruined my life, I can’t have a partner, I am afraid and terrified of men,” she explained between sobs, remembering how, after feeling unwell while having sex with the defendant in June 2018, “rocks began to come out of coca” – five or six – from her vagina.
The Prosecutor’s Office asks for 130 years in prison for Palma, while the accusations request the reviewable permanent prison. His defense demands free acquittal. According to the initial calendar, the nine members of the jury will not retire to deliberate until July 14. Before, on the 6th, it will be the defendant’s turn to testify.
