Trial of Wisconsin man accused of killing Colombian girlfriend, disposing of body in suitcase continues; investigators called to the stand
FRANKLIN, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The trial in Colombia centering the alleged murder of Colombian DJ Valentina Trespalacios by the hands of her boyfriend, a divorced father of three from Franklin, continued.
Officials involved with the homicide investigation took the stand taking us through the timeline of Valentina Trespalacios death and the aftermath.
The trial began with heart wrenching details of the day Trespalacios' body was found lifeless last year.
"I remember that when I took out the suitcase, the lifeless body was found with lesions on the face and in the thyroid region or neck of the body," said Omar Alberto Vargas, deputy superintendent of the National of Colombia.
Vargas said they immediately knew they had a homicide case on their hands. The accused killer? Trespalacios' boyfriend John Poulos of Franklin, Wisconsin.
The bench then called criminal analyst investigator Juan Sebastian Alfonso Huerfano who detailed the minute Poulos got to Trespalacios home and the moments he was caught leaving Colombia alone.
"The gray car is driven by Mr. John Poulus," said Huerfano.
Huerfano said the surveillance videos captured the four days the couple spent together.
From packing up and picking up luggage from Trespalacios home to the moments they arrive at an Airbnb, to the vital video which caught Poulos hauling heavy luggage into the grey rental car believed to have contained Trespalacios' body.
"We can see the movement of the suspect getting out of the vehicle the belongings in this case of the trunk a suitcase and throwing it next to the garbage containers located in the park," said Huerfano.
He also detailed the moments Poulos allegedly dumped the 23-year-old body that was inside a suitcase.
The timeline ends with footage of Poulos approaching a flight. He was later arrested in Panama with a ticket to fly to Istanbul, Turkey.
Poulos is facing femicide charges. If found guilty, he could face up to 50 years in Colombian prison.