The ex-wife of Paul Rigowho was also in the house in Porreres (Mallorca) when the old man killed one of the thieves who had broken in to rob them, told the court that they had decided to confiscate one of the guns they had loaded into the house.to give “a fright” to the attackers.
The Provincial Court of Palma continued the trial this Monday with a popular jury against the octogenarian and the three thieves who planned and executed the theft in February 2018 with the testimony of the relatives and acquaintances of the accused and must continue this afternoon with the testimony of the civil guards.
After a two-hour temporary suspension, pending one of the accused being brought to justice for other criminal acts that occurred this Saturday, The first to testify was Rigo’s ex-wife, who were already divorced at the time but still living in the rural house where the theft took place.
According to the woman, the first thing she remembers on the morning of February 24, 2018, are the screams of her ex-husband, who had been surprised by two men “hooded, dressed in black and each carrying a goat’s leg”. “And Pau said: ‘They’re back!’ », remembers the witness.who explained that they both thought the attackers were the same ones who had broken into their house a few months before.
While Rigo was with one of the attackers in the basement – where the safe was – she continued, she was guarded by the other in her bedroom. He gave her a boost but there were no more attacks, he said.
In that room, he said at the prosecutor’s request, Pau had several loaded shotguns. “They were there in case anyone came, it’s not like we put them in after the first flight. It could have been like that, but no. We lived in the countryside, he loved hunting… They were there all their lives, they were like insurance, let’s say“, he explained.
At some point during the assault, he pointed out, the thief guarding her left the room and Pau entered, who took one of the shotguns. “And he said to me: “They’ve already been here twice, what do we do?”. “I told him to do what he wanted,” he said.
Later, under cross-examination by the defense lawyer of one of the attackers, she added that they had decided by mutual agreement that he would take the weapon to give them “a little scare.” “What do you mean by fear?” The lawyer insisted. “I don’t know,” he replied.
Then they both left the room and he waited for the robbers with the rifle while she hid behind the sofa in the living room, from where she could observe how one of the attackers, upon seeing the rifle, is directed towards her ex-husband and, When he was about a meter and a half away, he shot him.
The other thief – the first’s twin brother – continued, lunged at Rigo with the intention of snatching his hunting rifle and, During the struggle, he hit him several times. Until then, he admitted, none of them had suffered injuries from the attackers. “If they had hit him with the crutch, they would have killed him,” he said.
Once The thief left the house with his brother, the hunting rifle and the loot – around 15,000 euros.–, Pau hid in the room and went to open the gate of the property with the intention that the Civil Guard patrols or the ambulance could enter. This fact contrasts with what was stated during the trial by Rigo, who claimed to have lost consciousness due to the blows.
In any case, continued his ex-wife, the man called for help several times and shortly after the arrival of armed Institute agents. “I remember why When I wake up every morning everything comes to mind, like a film,” he admitted.
This Monday morning, he also testified as a witness the mother of the two attackers, of Colombian nationality and whose family has resided in Mallorca for 24 years. The woman, in addition to emphasizing that she and her husband urged their son to go to the Civil Guard, regretted having been stigmatized as migrants.
“All I ask is that this ends once and for all, The public lynching we experience every day is unbearable. We are migrants, of course, but no one gave us anything, we did not come to Spain to receive anything. All I ask for is justice for my son. They killed a human being, not a dog“, the woman reproached him.
Although he admitted that His children are ‘to blame’ for what happened, he stressed it was a ‘bad decision’ that any other person could have taken and that does not mean that they have to “carry around” them all their life.
Before finishing his speech, he addressed Rigo, who is sitting next to his lawyers unlike the rest of the defendants. “I am a believing woman, and in this life the justice of the earth is not enough, Rest assured that divine justice will do so. »he told him.
Rigo’s son also appeared as a witness, who recalled the state of the house after the theft –with drawers removedfor example – and his father’s multiple injuries. The house, he explained, was sold after the assault.
