THE son of a Guardamar del Segura hotel owner who died at her home in December 2022, has been arrested for her murder.
77-year-old Rita Ortiz was well known in the city as the proprietor of the family-run Hotel Guardamar, some 50 metres from the main beach.
Her son, 54, with a history of drug abuse lived with her and initially told the Guardia Civil that his mother was the victim of a home invasion.
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He rang emergency services and told the operator that up to four assailants of ‘Arabic origin’ broke into their Calle Lepanto home.
The son claimed they were beaten up before being restrained and losing consciousness.
He said that he when he woke up, he found that his mother had died.
Under interrogation, he then changed his story and said that Rita had fallen and hit her head, but he could not help her because he had taken cocaine with a friend.
A third version of what happened then saw the son accuse his friend of committing the assault.
The Guardia Civil did not believe any of the stories but after waiting two-and-a-half years for over 100 fingerprint and DNA test results, officers arrested the son and his friend on Monday.
A Torrevieja court remanded the son into custody while the second detainee was bailed but had his passport removed.
The Informacion newspaper reported that Rita Ortiz died when she was defending herself from being assaulted.
During the struggle with her son, they both fell down a staircase and suffered head injuries as the wound incurred by Rita proved to be fatal.
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