The popular jury declared him innocent Paul Rigothe old man from Porreres (Mallorca) who killed the thief who had attacked him with a shot from a hunting rifle. In an initial trial, Rigo was acquitted in December 2023, but later The Superior Court of Justice of the Balearic Islands ordered the trial to be repeated, granting an appeal from the Prosecutor’s Office.
This Thursday, the popular jury declared unanimously Pau Rigo is not guilty and thus supported the thesis of the defense lawyer, who maintained that the old man had acted in self-defense. The members of the jury understood that Rigo shot in defense of his life against real and imminent danger and he had no other choice.
This Thursday afternoon, the Provincial Court of Palma welcomed the reading of the verdict prepared by the nine members of the jury, gathered Wednesday morning and It took them a little over 24 hours to reach a consensus.
The popular jury began to deliberate on the guilt or innocence of Pau Rigo on Wednesday November 20. At the end of the test sessions, the prosecutor maintained his accusation considering that it was proven that when shooting one of the thieves who broke into his house in February 2018, he did not defend his life but decided to “defend them” to prevent them from stealing almost 15,000 euros.
The prosecution’s representative also did not believe that it had been proven that, during the robbery, Rigo and his ex-wife – with whom he was living at the time – were victims of “extreme” physical violence before the shooting. Rigo’s defense, for its part, demanded a free acquittal.
During the trial, Rigo assured that the attackers had hit him several times and that he feared for his life and that of his wife. “Until he decides to do something, defend me.”
During his interrogation, Rigo, who was 78 years old at the time of the events years old, he said he was approached by two thieves (brothers and sisters among themselves, one of whom is deceased), that they hit him at different times during the attack. This, coupled with the fact that he suspected they were after more money than him and that he had recently suffered another violent robbery at his home, made him fear for his life and that of his wife, he said. he pointed out.
According to his account, he took advantage of the opportunity to fetch one of his two hunting rifles that he had loaded, and was placed with the intent to intimidate to the thieves and leave. “I never thought about shooting. It was in defense, I didn’t attack, they attacked me, which is not the same. I was attacked with a gun in my hand, and what was I going to do? I shot big. “I didn’t know where he shot,” he said.
It should be remembered that the Superior Court of Justice of the Balearic Islands (TSJB) ordered the repetition of the trial. declaring null and void the sentence which acquitted the retiree in December 2023when considering an appeal from the prosecutor’s office.
The trial ended with a verdict that initially interpreted as condemnatorybut after finding that a sufficient majority had not been reached, a series of appeals were launched by which Finally, the judge pronounced the acquittalan extreme to which the Prosecution appealed and whose appeal led to the repetition.
The defense of Pau Rigo, carried out by Eduardo Valdiviabased his request for acquittal on self-defense, placing particular emphasis on the fact that after the two hooded men entered his house armed with goat legs and tried to attack the old man when they were surprised in mid-flight, he, avoiding the attack, fired in a gesture of defense, but without any intention of ending the thief’s lifen, that as the old man was not wearing his glasses, he could not even make out.
