GUILTY Spain - Denise Thiem, 40, U.S. traveler, Astorga, 4 April 2015

[ZaZara]

AUTOPSY: THE BODY OF THE PEREGRINA SHOWS FRACTURES TO THE HEAD, JAW AND RIBS PLUS SEVERAL BROKEN TEETH

Diario de León.es
http://www.diariodeleon.es/noticias...costillas-y-rotos-varios-dientes_1019446.html

The autopsy of the remains of Denise Pikka Thiem reveals that the pilgrim suffered four fractures during the attack that caused her death. Examination has shown a contusion on the occipital area [ of the skull ], another in the right temporal region, a third on the jaw that also caused her the loss of several teeth, plus several broken ribs. The report states that the laryngeal cartilage was broken, and confirms that the victim was naked and had no hands at the time of her discovery.

In the opinion of the doctors, the body had been deposited in the area where it appeared between one and eight months before its discovery and pending further studies, it is believed that it may have suffered an attack by vermin.

This morning the court plans to take evidence from the police officers who carried out the arrest of the confessed murderer in Grandas de Salime (Asturias).

After the change of the investigating magistrate responsible for the case, since the former head of the case was transferred to León in their capacity as Judge of territorial jurisdiction, these days appear before the courts of Astorga the policemen who arrested Blas Muñoz in the Asturian town of Grandas of Salime and those who accompanied him during the reconstruction of events and at the time when the corpse was unearthed from the place where it was found.

Also four residents of the village of Castrillo de los Polvazares and Valdemanzanas have been called to testify about details of their relationship with the accused; as well as the owner of a bicycle shop who, during an informal conversation about the investigations carried out at the time, heard the suspect say: "That woman is already dead."

Also in recent days the testimony of the employee of Cajamar has been collected. She alerted the National Police about bank transaction made by the suspect, when he changed just over $ 1,000 into euros. Over time it was discovered in the investigation that these were the banknotes that the victim was carrying in her backpack.


BBM

 

[ZaZara]

DENISE THIEM DIED FROM A STRONG BLOW TO THE HEAD

The autopsy report has determined that the pilgrim suffered a "violent death" and the body showed injuries in thorax, skull and a fracture of the jaw.


La Nueva Crónica.com
http://www.lanuevacronica.com/denise-thiem-murio-a-causa-de-un-fuerte-golpe-en-la-cabeza


The autopsy report has determined that the pilgrim suffered a "violent death" and the body showed injuries in thorax, skull and a fracture of the jaw.

Denise Pikka Thiem died from a strong blow to the head. This is confirmed by the forensic reports released on Thursday morning by the 'Programa de Ana Rosa' on Telecinco. The pilgrim died of a severe head trauma, but, according to this report, the body found last September in the underbrush of a property owned by the man accused of her death, Michelangelo MB, also had injuries in the thorax and jaw fracture, with loss of teeth, in addition to head injury.

It was also determined that the body of Denise Thiem was found without hands, naked and completely hidden in bushes and that the date of her death coincides with that of her disappearance, and that de body may have been located at the place where it was found between one and eight months.

Therefore, forensics determined that the pilgrim suffered a violent death and was murdered. The only defendant, Miguel Angel MB, is in custody while awaiting trial. He was responsible for directing the security forces to the place where the body of Denise was located after confessing before them and also before the Judge of Astorga that he had been responsible for her death.


BBM


'completely hidden in the bushes'.... didn't he say he put her there because he wanted her to be found?

The way it looks, the remains of Denise may well have been hidden in one and the same place from the beginning. This puts Denise firmly on the Camino (without the detour to Castrillo de los Polvazares) and her murderer lying in wait and calculating his chances.

:nono:

 

[ZaZara]

http://www.elnortedecastilla.es/leon/201510/29/denise-sufrio-lesiones-torax-20151029115216.html


(...)

Also, the report sets to 00:20 hours on September 12 the actual location of the body of the pilgrim. When she was found, in the presence of her murderer, she was lying down with the "head turned to the left"; her lower limbs were bent and the upper limbs were right next to / under (*) her body, the hands were not localized.


BBM


* I happened to see a flash of the autopsy report on TV stating that the arms were under the body.
http://www.telecinco.es/elprogramad...exclusiva-programa-ana-rosa_2_2075355031.html

 

[ZaZara]

THE AMERICAN PILGRIM DIED FROM A TERRIBLE BEATING

La Voz de Galicia
http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/notici...ausa-terrible-paliza/0003_201510G31P10993.htm


The autopsy that the professionals of the Institute of Legal Medicine of Ponferrada performed on the pilgrim Denise Pikka Thiem, whose body was found on September 12, months after her disappearance, conclude that the woman suffered at least six fractures during the brutal attack that ended her life. This was published yesterday by the newspaper Diario de León in a report signed by reporters M. Á. Zamora and A. G. Valencia.

According to this newpaper, the forensic report states that at the time of its discovery the body was totally naked and hidden in some bushes. It had a broken jaw with loss of teeth, and several fractures in the head and chest. Her hair was soaked in blood, and covered with small branches and mud. The body was laying upside down with the head turned to the left, legs bent and arms caught under the body. It had no hands, and about this condition, "it can not be ruled out if this happened because of the action of animal scavengers or by postmortem traumatic amputation," the autopsy says.

The authors of the report estimate that the death of the American pilgrim, who was doing the Camino de Santiago when she disappeared after leaving Astorga, has occurred between one month and eight months before the appearance of her remains. In addition, the analysis of the body by forensic shows that the body was transferred in the hours immediately following her death.


BBM


"the body was transferred in the hours immediately following her death" ... there goes the story of vomiting (for 3 days) and remorse (after an unspecfied while) that many found hard to believe anyway.

With these findings and the fact that police dog Benny followed Denise's traces along the Camino from Murias de Rechivaldo to almost the location where she was found much later, IMHO it is safe to conclude that Denise never made the detour to Castrillo de los Polvazares, did not get lost in the area beyond the village and never passed by the house of MABM asking for help.

Along the Camino, near where the remains of Denise were found, there are some bushes (local source). A different scenario, namely that MABM was hiding in these bushes, laying in wait for Denise and that he attacked Denise from behind, is gaining strength. In this scenario, she may even never have known what hit her.

 

[ZaZara]

HOW DID THE PEREGRINA DIE?

13TV.es
[video]http://www.13tv.es/video/?vid=e-8993[/video]

The panel of the Spanish programme 'Detrás de la Verdad' ('behind the truth') discussed the autopsy report of Denise Thiem.
I watched the live stream, it was kind of chaotic to put it kindly. At times, it seemed like all participants were speaking at the same time. Why would that be? :thinking:

I managed to hear some useful information. Fortunately, the programme snipped the discussion an kept the explanation of the autopsy report (see video).

This is how the body was apparently found (screenshot from sketch):



José María Benito, UFP (Unión Federal Policías), on the left, comments and explains how the body was found. I made some notes, this is not an actual transcript.

The heavy blow at the back of the head immediately caught the attention of forensics and the police at the location.

This is NOT compatible with the story of the confessed murderer, given the location of the blow. The blow was delivered from behind, POR SORPRESA, by surprise, so the victim could not defend herself.

The fractures to the front side of the body were caused when he hit her again while she was laying on the ground, to make sure she was dead. JMB actually says: rematarla, kill her again.

She was brought to this place from the place where she was killed. JMB says that the killer claims he did this so that the body might be found, but 'obviously he did it to hide the body.'

Both hands are missing. The hands might indicate if the victim defended herself, that is if she died during a fight (homicide) or if it was an assassination. In the end does it matter much? there are other indications and evidence about what happened.



A piece of bone that might belong to the wrist of the peregrina was found near the house of MABM, but there has been no news yet if it was actually identified. None of the news outlets that I have seen mentions if it was included in the autopsy.

 

[ZaZara]

THE AUTOPSY OF PILGRIM DENISE KILLED REVEALED THAT SHE DIED OF A BRUTAL BEATING. PARENTS WERE NOT INFORMED.

The family wrote a letter to the Minister of Justice given the lack of information about when they might repatriate the remains of Denise

The answer, on Friday, said that forensic examinations were continuing. That same day, several media published the autopsy.

The pilgrim disappeared on April 5 and her body was found on September 12


ElMundo.es
http://www.elmundo.es/sociedad/2015/11/02/56376d6c268e3ec0648b4666.html


The family of Denise Pikka Thiem, the woman of 40 who disappeared on April 5 while on the Camino de Santiago and whose body was found near a farm in Castrillo de los Polvazares (León) on September 12, continue without the possibility to mourn their loss. They continue, as was told to El Mundo, without any concrete information about when they will recover the remains of Denise. Thery are still unable to maintain a smooth communication with the Spanish authorities, all that had been explained to them until this weekend is that any request has to be made through a lawyer.

Things changed last Friday when, after a tough letter that the family had sent to Justice Minister Rafael Catalá, asking for help and a little understanding, they received a reply in which they were told that "forensic examinations continue, they need to finish the test, first the bone, then the tissue and it will take time given the state in which the body was found. " According to sources of the family, they were given the deadline for finalizing the report of November 9, "although the Embassy extends it until 11 or 12". After that, one has to go to court and the judge will decide when to return the remains." So we still do not know when Denise can rest in peace and, with her, we ourselves," they declared.

But exactly that day, just as the response with the indefinite time from the Ministry of Justice came, just as the Thiem family became even more desperate in the United States, in Spain several media made public the results of the autopsy. The report was leaked, a friend of Denise saw it, informed the relatives and, since then, they are torn between outrage, anger and pain.

They have not wanted to read the contents, they do not want to suffer even more, but this report contradicts the version of the man arrested, who confessed to the crime, Miguel Angel Muñoz Blas, who acknowledged "that he hit her and she fell and hit a rock" and, in order not to let her suffer, he cut her throat.

Fractured skull and broken ribs

As reported in the 'Diario de León', the autopsy reveals that the pilgrim died from a brutal beating. Forensics listed the following according to the leonese newspaper:
"The body was found at 00.40 pm on September 12. It was naked and hidden under some bushes. The body was lying face down [ in the prone position ], with the head turned to the left, bent legs and upper limbs folded under the body. The absence of both hands was noted. It can not be ruled out if this happened through the action of scavengers or by traumatic amputation postmortem, " the doctors say.

Also the body "has a broken jaw with tooth loss." The hair was matted with blood stains, sticks and mud and in the phase of putrefaction.

On the skull the following injuries were found "Fracture with no bone fragments at the level of squamous part of temporal bone (on one side of the head) radiating to the skull base affecting the region of the temporal bone, right eye socket and the superior jawbone. Hairline fracture of the lower jawbone on the right. Fracture of the jaw in the middle part of the left side. Fracture of the occupital area on the right."
It does not even stop there. She had several broken ribs and "a fracture of the laryngeal cartilage."

'Please Catalá Minister help us'

During the five months that Denise was missing, until the discovery of her body, the family felt "abandoned" by the Spanish Government and by US representatives in Spain. Therefore, they wrote letters to the presidents Mariano Rajoy, and Barack Obama explaining their case. They also had the support of Senator John McCain of Arizona, who personally requested the intervention of the FBI from Rajoy. Sources near the investigation admitted to the world that this request of the Senator caused a shock to the investigation and search operations were strengthened.

Now, faced with the same modus operandi of the authorities, the Thiem family has returned to the correspondence. This is the letter they sent to the Minister of Justice and to which the Ministry replied on Friday.

October 22, 2015

Dear Minister Catalá

I am writing from despair on behalf of the family of Denise Thiem, who, as you know, was murdered in Spain while doing the Camino de Santiago during Holy Week, on April 5, 2015.

As you will understand, Denise's parents were devastated when they learned that their daughter had disappeared in Spain. The desolation became sheer terror and unimaginable trauma when it became clear that she was murdered. Then came the shock and the added pain for some sensational reports in the Spanish media about the horrific nature of her death, details that should have been confidential until all tests were completed, but apparently were filtered by Spanish authorities without any consideration of how it could impact her traumatized and grieving parents.

Throughout the process since the disappearance of Denise, our requests for information about the progress of the search and investigation were mostly ignored. Now we are facing another unthinkable and outrageous neglect. After numerous consultations, no one has yet told us when the remains of Denise will be returned to us to give her a proper burial. Surely there must be someone in Spain to empathize with a family that is broken. The remains were discovered almost two months ago and we still have not been informed about when, more or less, we may recover her.

Please help us. We wish to say goodbye to Denise with all honors that a person as wonderful as she merits. She deserves a respectful funeral and burial. Her parents need to close this chapter and grieve for their daughter in peace, they need to begin their mourning. Any extra delay is cruel and insensitive and only serves to cause more trauma to the family, who are also victims of this heinous crime.

Denise's parents beg you to release the remains now, so we can have our beloved Denise at home with the dignity, honor and respect that she deserves.

I would like to hear from you before October 27.

The Ministry's response came on October 29. And one day later, the surprise of the leaked autopsy without the family knowing anything about it.


BBM

 

[ZaZara]

AUTOPSY: THE PEREGRINA DIED OF A BRUTAL BEATING



El Correo Gallego.es
http://www.elcorreogallego.es/santi...brutal/idEdicion-2015-11-04/idNoticia-961868/

The autopsy that was done on the remains of the American pilgrim Denise Pikka Thiem, 41, determines that she died from a brutal beating that left her with numerous fractures in different parts of her body, the most serious was the rupture of the cranial base. She was not sexually assaulted.

As sources of the investigation confirmed to Efe, the body also had broken jaw and several teeth, several ribs and cartilage of the larynx, so the most likely cause of death could be the many blows that she received. The investigators believe that the woman was attacked from behind, which can be decisive when it comes to describe her death as assassination and not as homicide because she had no possibility to defend herself.


BBM


Assassination is homicide carried out with criminal intent, malice or premeditation.
Homicide can be involuntary. Involuntary assassination does not exist, assassination is always deliberate.
One of the factors in assassination is 'alevosía', criminal intent: the circumstance that someone who commits a crime against person(s) has assured that no risk could result from a defensive reaction from the person attacked.

IMHO everything indicates that the attacks by MAMB were getting more violent every time, and also that he was learning from each attack.
During the first two attacks he appeared in front of the victim.
The Chinese woman threw stones at him and chased him away.
For the second attack he used a stun gun. The German woman managed to escape because the stun gun did not work amd she had the presence of mind to hand him some money. A lucky coincidence for her, but not what MAMB intended. He got €50 out of this and a lot of problems with the Police.

IMHO it is highly possible and probable that he decided to attack his next victim from behind so they might not identify him; and that Denise never knew what hit her.

 

[ZaZara]

THE FAMILY OF DENISE THIEM DECLINE TO PRESENT THEMSELVES AS PRIVATE PROSECUTORS. HER BODY REMAINS IN SPAIN

Diario de León.es
http://www.diariodeleon.es/noticias...-particular-cadaver-sigue-espana_1021124.html


Maria Argentina Alvarez, the head of the court of First Instance and Instruction No. 2 of Astorga, ensures that she constantly keeps the family of Denise Pikka Thiem informed about the case. The pilgrim died last April 5, she was allegedly murdered by Miguel Angel Muñoz Blas. The court does so through the American Embassy, with which it maintains regular contact.

As was made known to this newspaper yesterday through the press office of the Superior Court of Castilla and León, the judge understands the sensitive state of mind in of the relatives of the victim, but since the Thiem family has declined the option to present themself as private prosecutor is not possible to give a full transfer of the proceedings and as long as the proceedings are not concluded, it will be impossible to return the remains of Denise, as they requested by a letter to the Minister of Justice. The differences between the legal systems of Spain and the United States have caused some friction in recent weeks. The Thiem family do not understand that they will not be provided further data than those that reach them at present. The case ceased to be under a gagging order in September, but only for parties participating in the case. For this reason, the Court can not provide further references than they already have received.

Regarding the date for the repatriation of the body to the United States, at this time thisa cannot be determined. There remain to be done a series of formalities which may require the study of the remains and a new appearance in the courts of the confessed murderer has not been ruled out.

Until the conclusion of these investigations, the body of the deceased will remain at the Institute of Legal Medicine of Ponferrada.


BBM


I wonder why the family declined the option of becoming private prosecution. As far as I am aware, this can be done through a lawyer who could keep them informed at all times. They would still have to wait for the return of her remains, but at least they would know why and hopefully, they'd be informed ahead of reports in the press.
A relevant party can present themselves at all times as private prosecution, unless they declined to do so. It looks like the family cannot change their mind because they did decline.

Your daughter and sister has been missing for 5 months. She is found brutally murdered. Upon which you are requested to understand the finer details of a foreign legal system and make balanced decisions.

This is so sad.

 

[ZaZara]

VIDEO: TV INTERVIEW WITH LAWYER OF MAMB, CONFESSED MURDERER OF DENISE THIEM

La Mañana TV, rtve.es
http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/la-manana/se-conoce-autopsia-peregrina-asesinada/3348386/

I have been taking notes and made a summary in English. This is NOT a transcript, let alone a literal transcript and neither are the "quotes". The persons at the table are far more polite, even if they are very critical. I regret that I do not manage to catch their names. The woman with the blonde hair and the white blouse with black dots is a lawyer too.
Vicente Prieto, lawyer of MAMB does not have an easy time.


The results of the autopsy have been reported in the press. Vicente Prieto, lawyer of MAMB is invited by La Mañana.
The results of the autopsy contradict the story of events that MAMB has told earlier. This may indicate an assassination and not a homicide as the defense claims.

The lawyer says that the case is still under a gag order, therefore he cannot comment on it, but he feels free to comment about what has been published in the press. (IMHO as the conversation continues, it is difficult to note any difference between the files and the press.)

According to the lawyer, the main conclusions reported in the press are not supported by the report at all.
Moderator (now with reading glasses): Excuse me for interrupting you.... is this in the report ...yes or no? is that in the report... yes or no? and that ... yes or no?
She starts quizzing the lawyer and each time he has to concede that SI, yes, this is what the report says. Si si ouf si si si si si on it goes.

Lawyer claims that the blows were delivered to the front, not to the back.

Other moderator (?): With all due respect and nice to have you here, but if you want to save your fame as lawyer you have to come up with something better. There are only a few points in this report that they say need further clarification, the rest is a barbaric act. The man himself said: 'I did not want to kill her' but this what we are seeing here is something very different. What line of defense can you possibly have?

Lawyers says the autopsy does not say if all wounds were inflicted by the same person or if there were more. The autopsy does not even name my client!
Also the client told him this when the lawyer first saw him and he had not had time to read the documents in the case.

Question: Are you going to reject what has been said before?
Lawyer does not want to reveal his strategy. Lots of words.

Question (man in grey suit): Did he act alone? did someone help him?
Lawyer has problems with this question, ends up saying that self-incrimination is not sufficient.
Question: But does he regret what he has done?
Lawyer returns to the point that this happened when he saw him for the first time. MAMB never told him he did it.

Lawyer: I do not attach too much value to what he said when I first saw him when he had been detained for four days. (Cough! Note by me: The lawyer was all over the internet with this message at the time...)

Remark (blonde woman on the far right side of the table): We speak about blows to the face, that is a vital part. Here in the autopsy nothing is said about that he hit her and she fell against a rock. Defense will be difficult.
Lawyer goes si si si.

Moderator tells that the Thiem family are waiting for Denise's remains to be released.
Remark, by blonde woman: This is an error, this is not right, I am of the opinion that Denise needs a lawyer, who defends her here.

 

[Lumberjill]

I'm feeling so bad for Denise's family who likely just wants Denise's remains and the chance to close the door on this horrible incident.

 

[ZaZara]

"PILGRIMS SHOULD ALWAYS FOLLOW THE YELLOW ARROW TO AVOID CROOKS"

The Association of Friends of the Camino de Santiago de León is organizing the XVI Conference Jacobeas in Leon. Its president requires marking with another color all that does not belong to the Camino itself.

LeónNoticias 28/10/2015
http://www.leonoticias.com/frontend...empre-La-Flecha-Amarilla-Para-vn187879-vst216


"It's an awesome experience, with breathtaking scenery. Who walks the Camino, lives something different, because we are all in it as one, no matter where you come from or what you are."

Luis Gutierrez Tarrina, president of the Association of Friends of the Camino de Santiago de Leon, describes the thrill of the pilgrim route. These days in Leon he experiences with great intensity the XVI Jornadas Jacobeas Conference organized by the association. The three days of concerts, exhibitions and lectures are being highly valued by the public, with 350 people gathering for the folk concert held on Monday.

Luis Gutierrez has done a review of the history of the association recognizing that "the most difficult moments were those at the beginning. Now we have almost 500 members and we have been together for 15 years within the confederation of Friends of the Camino. Our role is to serve the pilgrims, advise those who want to open shelters and keep our stretch in order, that runs from Puente Villarente to León up to Hospital de Órbigo."

The president of the association was very pleased with the data being recorded this year about the Camino de Santiago in Leon: "This year there are between 4% and 6% more pilgrims than in 2014. We here hand out the Pilgrims Passport, therefore we can do an exhaustive count. We also give information to the pilgrims about the orography that they will encounter, the locations through which they will pass from here to Santiago and the services at their disposal. We spend about 15 or 20 minutes with each pilgrim."

The president of the Association of Friends has also referred to the case Denise Thiem, the young American woman murdered in the Leonine stretch of Camino, stating that "people are not concerned about it, it did not have repercussions on the pilgrims, but we here demand that the signage be updated."

Luis Gutierrez made a series of recommendations for those who want to start on the Camino, advice that he repeates to all pilgrims passing by the association: "The first thing is to always keep an eye on the yellow arrow, that they always keep their valuables with them; that they do not carry large amounts of money because there are banks every few kilometers, and that they prepare for thirteen days of physical activity, if leave from Leon."

"On the Camino there are many cheaters, who use yellow arrows for detours along the Camino and lead the pilgrims to their businesses. We demand that all that has nothing to do with the Camino itself should be marked in another color" is the suggestion made by the president of the association. "It's something that the Minister of Tourism is committed to in a plan that runs from 2016 until 2021," the president of the Association of Friends of the Camino de Leon concludes.


BBM


Except that it probably wasn't a matter of yellow arrows at all .....

:gaah:

 

[ZaZara]

BREAKING:

Camino de Santiago: Family of Denise Thiem receives permission to bring body home from Spain

AZCentral
http://www.azcentral.com/story/news...ives-permission-retrieve-body-spain/75473068/


After a protracted wait, the family of a missing Arizona woman receives permission to retrieve her body from Spain.

Nearly six weeks after DNA tests confirmed the body of a missing Arizona woman had been found in Spain, the family of Denise Thiem has received permission to bring her remains home.

Last week, a judge in Spain issued an order to release Thiem's body to her family after a protracted and frustrating wait — one of several they have endured since the Litchfield Park woman disappeared in April.

(...)

Around this time, the family's grief was further compounded after Spanish media began reporting graphic details from an autopsy report that had been made public. The Spanish Minister of Justice later wrote to the family apologizing and expressing regret for the reports on the autopsy.


BBM


:rose:

 

[ZaZara]

FORENSICS STUDY THE REMAINS OF DENISE AGAIN TO SEE IF HER MURDERER CUT HER HANDS TO CONCEAL EVIDENCE

The American pilgrim, who died of a beating, was attacked from behind. There are no traces of sexual assault

Diario de León
http://www.diariodeleon.es/noticias...sino-corto-manos-ocultar-pruebas_1022482.html


The Institute of Forensic Medicine is studying the stumps of the corpse of the American pilgrim Denise Thiem Pikka to determine whether her alleged murderer, Miguel Angel MB, cut off her hands, the only parts of the body that have not appeared.

Sources from the investigation have indicated that they are carrying out a thorough and microscopic examination, since it has not been clear whether the alleged perpetrator of the death cut them off or if vermin took them.

Although since the early days of the discovery of the body there has been speculation that Miguel Angel MB, already in prison for the death of Denise, had severed her hands, investigators still do not have clarified that and, therefore, they have decided to examine stumps, since her hands could not be found. For the investigation, it is essential to know whether the author of the death cut off the hands and hid them in a premeditated act, because without them no traces of the skin of the murderer would be found or other signs that denote that there was a fight. It would be an indication that the man now arrested hit the victim with malice aforethought. This aggravates the status of the crime, that is, it would be an assassination. If there were remains on the hands this would strengthen the hypothesis that they had fought and this could lead to an indictment for murder.

The autopsy has determined that Denise died from a brutal beating due to the presence of numerous fractures in different parts of her body, the more severe being the fracture of the base of the skull. She was not sexually assaulted. The body also had broken jaw and several broken teeth, several ribs and cartilage of the larynx, so the most likely cause of death could be the many blows she received. In addition, the investigators believe that the woman was attacked from behind. This can be decisive when it comes to describing her death as assassination and not as homicide because she had no possibility to defend herself.


BBM


IMHO there are so many indications that this was premeditated and an assassination, I'd be surprised if it were not. She was beaten brutally and he went about the village afterwards with no visible damage. Anyone claiming this was a fight - IF there was one - of equals must think again.

Denise was an experienced traveler and a long time friend of Denise told me that Denise would have handed over money willingly. This led us to suspect that she did not get the chance to do so. Being assaulted, attacked from behind, immobilized to the point of unconsciousness fits the picture.

Man you were a fool. As big a fool as you are cruel. You could have asked for money and gotten 50 euros, she would have walked on, alive and well and you would still be a free man. But this was never really about money at all, now was it?

 

[ZaZara]

INTERIOR AND THE XUNTA DE GALICIA AGREE TO STRENGTHEN SURVEILLANCE ON THE CAMINO FOUR MONTHS A YEAR

This decision comes months after the murder near Astorga (León) of the American pilgrim Denise Thiem

La Voz de Galicia
http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/notici...mino-cuatro-meses-ano/0003_201511G13P9996.htm

The Ministry of Interior and the regional government have signed half a dozen agreements and protocols to enhance collaboration between the two institutions. Under one of them, police and Guardia Civil will strengthen their presence on the Camino de Santiago nearly four months a year: from 15 June to mid-September and both during the Holy week and seven days before and after. The Turism Agency of Galicia, meanwhile, promises to set up stables next to the Jacobean routes where agents can keep their horses in summer and provide security forces with online access to user registration in their albergues. This decision comes months after the murder, near Astorga (León) of the American pilgrim Denise Thiem.

Interior also will cooperate with the Vice President Alfonso Rueda in the fight against gender violence and to "eradicate practices that undermine the dignity of women," the department of Secretary Jorge Fernandez Diaz said yesterday through a press release. The regional and the central government will integrate with this aim their databases, tracking open cases and preventing new attacks.


BBM

Let's hope that Police and Guardia Civil will work together for the common good, and that the Spanish state agrees on similar protocols with the other autonomous regions on the Camino.

 

[ZaZara]

POLICE ADVISES AGAINST INCREASING THE NUMBER OF UNIFORMED OFFICERS ON THE CAMINO

Astorga police commanders discuss security in the Camino after the murder of Denise


ABC.ES. Galicia
http://www.abc.es/local-galicia/201...policias-uniformados-camino-201510161242.html

An increase in the number of uniformed cops on the Camino might generate an unnecessary warning. That's the idea the head of the National Police Station of Astorga, Francisco Cabero inspector and the head of the local police of this Leon locality, Juan Carlos Rodriguez shared on Thursday. In their jurisdiction the US pilgrim Denise Thiem was murdered in April. Both participated in a round table on security of the pilgrimage route in the forum Fairway, the first edition of an event that combines business and debate on the pilgrimage.

Cabero acknowledged that the five months it took to solve the crime of Denise were "hard", but said that suspicions immediately pointed to the local today imprisoned as accused of her death. Despite this unfortunate incident and allegations of attempted molestation, he argued that "the Camino is safe." "The type of crime that occurs the most is theft by neglect," Commissioner Cabero commented. He was in favor of the pilgrim being able do the Camino at leisure.

"Keep an eye on false pilgrims" Cabero said. He explained that there is "fluid communication with the heads of the albergues for noticing possible incidents." However, these facilities are not required to submit the list of people sleeping there every day, although it is being studied to impose this. "We will do checks to filter out the evil pilgrim" he said.

Cabero stressed the need to "make the pilgrims aware that they must inform the police of any anomaly that they notice on their itinerary and "to inform them [the pilgrims] about self-security," but he refused to increase the number of officers: "That would create a police state and this is not the aim." In fact, during the conference it was argued that 'only three countries are safer than the Camino' in terms of crime statistics: Monaco, Liechtenstein and Singapore. Cabero also advocated that changing of signals should be reported, because sometimes swindlers move the direction of the famous yellow arrows, to the benefit of their own businesses This circumstance will be solved with the measures envisaged in the master plan of the Xunta.

Rodriguez, head of the local maragata police for over fifteen years, also opted for "offering minmal notions of self-protection at the start of the Camino" to avoid situations of carelessness as those caused by Korean pilgrims in winter conditions in mountainous areas. He also demanded more coordination between law enforcement and administration: "It would enhance the quality for the pilgrim. The division creates problems."

"The protocols for security on Camino argued, must be reconsidered. Let us have stable police presence, but without the pilgrim noticing. Let them not feel out breath in their necks. Like in the good football matches, the referee has to go unnoticed. There is no need for agents to become very visible. That generates insecurity " he said. He urged the local administrations to standardize the surveillance and prevent both areas that are overly covered and areas that are nearly abandoned, given that the Camino runs through very different regions. He warned that "the poor signage causes more insecurity", and backed this up with his own experience as a pilgrim in 2009. He encouraged the hikers to make greater use of their mobile and the social networks during their pilgrimage "ICT is very important. It is unthinkable that you can do the Camino de Santiago like it was done 25 years ago, "but not because today it is more unsafe" because, as he reminded that" there has always been a control on miscreants on route ."

This need to "coordinate efforts" was also supported by Juan Carlos Blazquez, captain of the Cavalry Squadron of the Guardia Civil, who monitor occasionally the track on horseback. In fact, he was in favor of having "an entity that encompasses the needs of safety on the Camino."

BBM

This article dates from Octeber 15. I knew I had read it but only today I managed to find it again. IMHO it is interesting by itself and also pinpoints the differences between the various autonomous regions.

I do not know about rural Liechtenstein, but both Monaco and Singapore are heavily policed, extremely so.

Cabero stressed the need to "make the pilgrims aware that they must inform the police of any anomaly that they notice on their itinerary.... well, both the German and the Chinese peregrina did exactly that and no Police or Guardia stopped MAMB from murdering Denise.

If this was mentioned during the round table, the reporter sadly failed to include it in his summary.

 

[ZaZara]

LETTER TO RAJOY, OBAMA: "WHEN CAN WE BURY OUR BELOVED DENISE?"


ElMundo
http://www.elmundo.es/sociedad/2015/11/27/5657417022601d693d8b45a9.html






For the third time since their daughter disappeared on April 5 while doing the Camino de Santiago and for the second time since her body was found half buried near a farm in Castrillo de los Polvazares (León), on 11 September, the parents of Denise Pikka Thiem are forced to write another letter to the political leaders.
They appeal, on this occasion, straight to the presidents of the Government of Spain, Mariano Rajoy, and of the US, Barack Obama.

Where are the remains of Denise? Mrs and Mr Thiem want to know. The government told them in late October, after they insisted a lot, that the forensic report would be completed on November 9 and, thereafter, the judge would decide when they might recover the remains. That would be soon, they were promised.

Just two days after receiving that response, they learned from the Spanish media details of the autopsy that they would have preferred not to know and that no authority informed them about. They found out through the press that the analysis of the body of their daughter contradicted the version of the confessed perpetrator, Miguel Angel Muñoz Blas (39 years), who said that he "hit her and when she fell she hit a rock and in order that she might not to suffer, he cut her throat. " The autopsy, however, revealed that she died much more violently than the man now arrested had told. And that is as far as her family managed because it was too painful to continue reading.

Now, four weeks after believing that everything would end soon, they have still not received the remains. They are unable to rest. Without understanding why their suffering is being extended so much. Therefore, Dalia and Seng Thiem are writing the following to Rajoy. "After telling us that the remains of Denise were ready to be returned to us them, so we might pay them honor and bury them, we continue waiting. Will it be next week, next month or next year when we can get back our Denise? "


BBM

 

[ZaZara]

OFFICIAL RESPONSE

ElMundo
http://www.elmundo.es/sociedad/2015/11/27/5657417022601d693d8b45a9.html

Following the publication of this report, judicial sources have informed EFE that the family will receive the remains upon completion of the investigation. But after they had given them the wrong dates, the sources no longer mention an approximate term. The remains of the pilgrim remain in the Forensic Anatomical Institute of Ponferrada (León) pending further tests to be done on them. The realization of these tests is very complex due to the poor condition of the body when it was found.

Sources from the investigation have explained that the body will not be released to the family until authorized by the head of the court of first instance and instruction number 2 of Astorga (León), María Antonia Díez, who instructs the proceedings. That time will come when the tests that are being carried out at present are completed. However, the same sources stressed that the family of the pilgrim is being promptly informed about the investigation by the Embassy of Spain in the United States since they do not have access to the file because they declined top present themselves as private prosecution.


BBM

 

[Lumberjill]

"might generate an unnecessary warning"...
How could it possibly be an unnecessary warning? How many assaults does it take for them to recognize that warnings (and police on the camino) are necessary?

 

[ZaZara]

MARTIN SHEEN WILL RETURN TO PILGRIM IN LEÓN

Diario de León
http://www.diariodeleon.es/noticias/cultura/martin-sheen-vuelve-peregrinar-leon_1016506.html

"The Way" will have a sequel.
The writer Carmen Estevez, sister of Martin Sheen and aunt of Emilio, confirmed in Fairway, a forum on this historical pilgrimage route which was held these days [in October] in Galicia, that there will be sequel. The writer, who lives in Madrid, noted the high number of American pilgrims on the pilgrimage route, in part, since the screening of The Way in that country. She did not mention whether the murder of a North American pilgrim near Astorga wil have an impact.
The film, which was nominated for the Goya Awards, contains hundreds of scenes filmed in places like Sahagún, Reliegos del Camino or Foncebadón.


BBM

I found this piece of news a while ago and at first I misread it - I thought that Carmen Estevez wasn't sure if she would include Denise in the script. Whether or not she might do that (and how...???), either way it would be an interesting dilemma. Very interesting.

But I was wrong. This isn't about Denise at all. This is yet another piece about how Denise's case will affect the already staggering number of American pilgrims on the Camino.

It would have been better for everyone if the American pilgrims had gone on a strike and demanded better security, but so far, no impact whatsoever has been noted. Another record number of Americans has walked the Camino in 2015.


:sigh:

 

[pappa rob]

I guess some people just don't learn.. I would think a story like this would keep some folks away.