Spain - Sheila Barrero Fernandez, 22, Degaña, 25 Jan 2004

Muy Curioso

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This is only the presentation of the case and lacks of important information, such as why detectives ruled out some suspects and other important issues. In some cases I have the information, and in others not, but I pray that people do not rush to conclusions or point fingers before time. In next days I will give more information about the case, and if I have not done now is to not make it heavier than already is. I hope that those interested in this case, if any, discuss it rationally and without unfounded accusations.

If anyone has questions, go ahead. I will answer what I can. But be patient, you can see that my English is very poor, and I have a hard time translating from Spanish.

Some case links (in Spanish, sorry):

http://www.lne.es/occidente/2014/01/25/caso-facil-clama-hermana-sheila/1532894.html
http://www.abc.es/hemeroteca/histor...al/una-bufanda-en-el-coche_1422901695101.html
http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/2006/08/17/048.html
http://www.lne.es/asturias/2009/01/29/cinco-pruebas-sheila/720752.html

The second chapter of this book

_________________________________

The murder of Sheila Barrero. January 25, 2004

On Sunday January 25, 2004, around 12:30 p.m, Elías Barrero, his wife and their young daughter, where on the way to Elías parents' house, as they did every Sunday. Elías and his family lived in the village of Villablino, while his parents, Elias Sr. and Julia lived in Degaña, about 15 miles away. It was a rainy and cold day, and furthermore the weather, sad and dark, they were a little uneasy. His parents had phoned to ask if Sheila, his younger sister, had been last night sleeping in his house, as sometimes did. No, they had not seen her. His parents were worried because she had not returned home and did not answer the phone. They knew that she returned late from her job as a waitress in Villablino, sometimes with daylight, and she was a 22 years young and modern female, but it was not like her. She could be at a friend´s house, but worry was growing in the Barrero family.

Halfway between Villablino and Degaña is the height of Cerredo, the pass, where there is a recreational area. It is an isolated, uninhabited and unlighted place, which is used only on special occasions, and sporadically for couples looking for privacy. While passing by, from about 90 yards, Elías saw only one parked car. It was a small white car, and although the rain and fog did not allow a correct identification, it was similar to the Peugeot 206 of her sister. He continued travel to Degaña, and after leaving his family there, decided to return to the top of the pass, just to make sure. Maybe she was sick or had fallen asleep. When approached, he realized that it was her sister´s car, and parked next. Inside the vehicle was Sheila, sitting in the driver's seat, leaning to the right, almost as if asleep. But she was not asleep, she was dead.

SHEILA

Sheila2.jpg
(Source: http://www.lne.es/occidente/2012/01/21/sheila-sigue-corazon-degana/1187289.html)


Sheila Lorena Barrero Fernández, 22 years old, had been born in Degaña, although recent years had resided outside the village, where only returned on weekends and during holidays. Degaña is a small town in northern Spain, of about 1.400 inhabitants, located in the southern part of the province of Asturias, and borders the province of León. It is a sparsely populated area, mountainous and isolated, whose main sources of income are cattle raising and mining.

Sheila was one of the four children of Elías Barrero Sr. and Julia Fernández, and had just graduated in Tourism at the University of Oviedo, where she had been living for years while studying. The last few months had been living in Gijón, in an apartment with her sister. Sheila had been at a travel agency making internship, and with her good work, the agency had said her that she was going to get a job. Her first important job. On weekends she returned to her parent´s house in Degaña, and took the opportunity to make extra money working as a waitress in a pub in Villablino, the Joe Team. Villablino, in the nearby province of León, had about 12,000 inhabitants and It was the largest town in 30 miles around.

Sheila had been dating for a few years with Teo, a young man from a nearby village, but she had broken the relationship a year ago, because his infidelities. In November and early December she had maintained a relationship for a few weeks with a youngest man from the area, Borja, but they had just broken and they had not finished on good terms. It seems that the relationship, only for 3 weekends, had been very superficial, and Borja had broken it, a bit scared at the insistence of Sheila to make a trip together, and especially because he was waiting the visit during Christmas of a girl from Barcelona, with whom he had a relationship. For a few days Sheila was calling him insistently, but he did not answer calls, until Sheila gave up, and from that moment they barely speak.

Since the break with Borja, Sheila had some brief and superficial relationship, and had made a trip to another country with a friend. According to testimonies, she was considering the idea of resuming her relationship with her former boyfriend, Teo, with whom still maintained good relationship, and it seems she had planned a trip to the Canary Islands with him. She had bought two plane tickets (using her work at the travel agency) and had been cited Teo on Sunday afternoon for a coffee. It is quite likely that she was planning to seize this moment to propose him the trip to the Canary Islands.

(TO BE CONTINUED)
 
BEFORE THE MURDER

On Friday afternoon Sheila got in her Peugeot 206 and drove from Gijon to Degaña, a two hours journey. It is known that she left her car in a garaje in Villablino for a mechanical review, but there is a discrepancy as to when that happened. As reported in the press, it was on Saturday 24 in the morning when Sheila and her father moved from Degaña to Villablino to leave the car in the garaje, returning to Degaña in Elías Sr. car. But according to the book of Vicente Garrido and Patricia López (Unsolved crimes) it was on Friday, 23. In this version, Sheila would have gone directly from Gijon to the garaje in Villablino, and there was her father waiting to take her to Degaña. The difference is important, because in the book version we don´t know how went Sheila from Degaña to Villablino on Friday night, and how returned on Saturday morning to his home. If the version of the press is the true, she would have done in her car. It is very likely she planned to pick up her car from the garaje in Villablino on Monday morning, to go right away to Gijón.

She worked Friday night at Joe Team, and Borja was there, making her some little snubs, like asking the drinks to the DJ of the pub (a friend of him) instead of her. Saturday night she had to return to work at Joe Team, and without car, she asked a friend of her group to pick up at her home. At 22:30 they left Degaña and after reaching Villablino and join the rest of the group, all of them went to a bar for a burger. Around midnight Sheila went to work, while the rest of the group started the route of pubs and bars.

About 3 a.m something happened, and it was decisive for future events. The son of the garaje owner, accompanied by his girlfriend, arrived to Joe Team, and told Sheila that he had left her revised car parked near the pub, and gave her the keys. Sheila and her father were apparently good customers, and as he knew that Sheila needed the car, he made her the favor. For Sheila were good news because it solved the problem of returning home. Without a car, she would have to ask someone to please take her home or staying at the house of his brother Elias, in Villablino.


At 4 a.m Sheila's friends arrived to Joe Team, and remained there until 7 a.m, when the pub closed. After that, Sheila went with them to have the nightcap to another pub. But after standing overnight she was very tired, and after taking a Coke, announced she was leaving. A couple of friends took her in their car to the door of Joe Team, where Sheila´s car was parked. The two cars were together from Villablino to the small town of Caboalles de Abajo. There they stopped to one last small chat, since their roads diverged there, on the bridge. They took the road towards Leitariegos, while she took the road to Degaña. It was about 8:00 a.m, and although the dawn was next, there were a light rain and visibility was very poor. Sheila had traveled this route many times. The two friends were from Caboalles de Abajo, and after leaving the driver his friend at home, he went to his own home, from which he sent a sms to Sheila, requesting her to send back a message to confirm that she had arrived safely, and warning her that one of the lights of the car was not working.

From the brige of Caboalles to Deñaga there are just over twelve miles on a mountain winding road, but the paving is good, and the road is wide enough to allow two lanes. From Caboalles de Abajo the route begins to rise for just under five miles, the last three with no village near the road, not even a little. After the climb, we reach the top of Cerredo (also known as the Pass), where there is a large recreational area with excellent views of the valley. From the Pass the route began a descent to Degaña, for about seven miles. In total, between 20 and 25 minutes driving. But Sheila never arrived.

CONJECTURES

At first, news were very confusing, and rumors were taken as informations. It was said that the body was naked, that she had been strangled with a scarf, that the death was due to trauma to the head, perhaps with a stone. The Guardia Civil (a militarized police, similar to the French Gendarmerie, which is responsible for rural areas in Spain) took over the investigation, and a joint team was formed between two command posts, since the scene forcing it: Sheila was heading Villablino in the province of León to Degaña, in the province of Asturias, and the car was found almost in the very border (although in Asturias).

The facts: Sheila was found in the driver's seat, slightly tilted to the right, her hair partially covering her face. She was fully dressed, but a bit messy. The right foot was placed on the mat, beside the accelerator pedal, and left foot beside the clutch pedal. Hands placed on her thighs, the right over the left. She had a tear in a stocking, at the height of the calf, and some bruising on the right thigh (although this last thing does not appear in the book of Garrido & López). Sheila's death had been caused by a single bullet, a contact shot, with entrance from the back of the head and exit to the height of the right eyebrow, with path from left to right. The bullet was from a small caliber, 6.35 mm, and after crossing the skull came out with so little speed that it had no strength to get through the car windshield. Hit it, leaving a crack, and bounced being wedged between the windshield and the dashboard.

There was a large bloodstain on the gear level and in the middle of front part of the vehicle, to where had rested Sheila´s head. There was also much blood of the victim on the passenger seat, near the door. This indicated that the head of Sheila had been a while on this seat, probably touching on the door. In that seat were the bag and cell phone of Sheila.

Detectives made the conjecture that a car passed Sheila´s car and braked sharply, making her stop. When the car was found, the driver's window was open almost halfway, whereof detectives deduced that the driver should be known by Sheila. Another fact that indicated to investigators that Sheila knew the attacker was that there were not braking marks on the road, and that if he were a stranger, she would have surrounded the car and continued forward.

Detectives speculated that the murder, after talking a few seconds with Sheila, entered the car through left rear door and shot her in the head. After shooting, he displaced Sheila's body to the passenger seat, to sitting himself in the driver's seat, and the victim's head rested on the passenger seat, leaving a bloodstain there. The killer drove the car to where it was found, and returned the victim´s body to driver´s seat, and he even spent time in sitting her correctly, put her hands on her knees, and place her feet in the right place. It is quite probable that the rupture of the stocking and thigh bruise taked place during this manipulation of the body. After leaving the car in the park of the recreational area, the killer leave the place in his car, which would have left in the middle of the road in the meantime.

ImagenShe.jpg
(Source: [url]http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/2006/08/17/048.html)
[/URL]


One of the major problems that detectives faced from the very begining is the lack of a evident motive for the crime. They had a execution-style murder, but the victim had no enemies and was not involved in shady business. There was no drug issues, not involved with dubious people. Her personal life seemed to have not anything special. They did not find anything suspicious about his parents and siblings either. Some of her friends were investigated, of course, their old boyfriends, her co-workers in the travel agency and in the pub. Nothing. Neither her life style or the way Sheila was murdered (time, place, pattern) indicated a passion crime, or an argument that escalated to end up in murder. There were not old jealous boyfriends or important dispute with anyone. Although her clothes wer a bit messy, detectives ruled out sexual assault as a motive. The autopsy had found no signs of (neither consensual or forced) sexual activity, and the crime pattern was not typical of a sexual predator. Probably they performed some signs (the small disarray on clothing, a break in a stocking, ...) as a result of the manupulación of the body by the killer, rather than signs of sexual assault. Others motives were discarded too, such as an attempted theft or a traffic incident.

(TO BE CONTINUED)
 
Detectives examined several acquaintances and friends of Sheila looking for gunshot residues (GSR), but the test was performed too late. It was not until Monday afternoon, about 33 hours after the crime, when the tests were made. There was a positive, Borja. Before having the results, cops had asked (it's an obvious question in this type of tests) him if he had fired a firearm recently, Borja said he had been hunting a week earlier. It is unclear whether the positive de Borja made him a suspect immediately, or this only happened later.

The delay in the GSR test was the result of an initial assumption of the cops. They arrived at the crime scene about 1 p.m, and immediately began the visual inspection, in a rainy and cold day. The first thing they saw was a crack in the windscreen, and someone interpreted it as a result of a stone blow. From there, there was only one step to deduce that the wound they could see in the right side of the right eyebrow, was the result of a blow with a stone or other hard object. So they looked inside the car and around for a stone and other objects that could be the murder weapon. The bad weather did not allow them to work in conditions, so they decided to move the car to the police station for further research, and the body of Sheila was taken to the autopsy room.

It was not until next day, Monday 26, when it was discovered that the victim had died of a result of a gunshot. At autopsy a bullet entry wound was found at the back of the head, hidden by her hair. The wound over the brow was therefore the exit wound of the bullet. The bullet was found inside the car. After hitting the windshield and cause the rift, the bullet had bounced on the dashboard, being wedged between it and the windshield base. In the rear of the car was found the shell. In summary, in that evening cops ignored a few issues of great importance:

1. The rift on the windshield was the result of a bullet blow.
2. The wound that they observed in the eyebrow of the victim was a gunshot wound.
3. There was another wound at the back of the head.
4. There was a bullet in the car.
5. There was a shell in the car.

Although there may be an excuse for some of these mistakes, and even if we consider the circumstances in which take place the visual inspection, it seems that was not their best day.

Entradaysalida.jpg
(Source: Screenshot)

Luna1.jpg
(Source: Screenshot)

Since that moment a mistake and a questionable decision were made. The mistake was made when cataloging the shell, which is reflected in different documents as different brands. The controversial decision was testing gunshot residue anyway, though time was outside all rules. Many samples were taken, but the analysis of these would take time. A partial fingerprint, some DNA profiles, and a pair of fibers were found.

GOOGLE MAPS CRIME SCENE

Detectives began a slow track of all cell phone calls made in the area at the approximate time of the murder, and after serveral months, it led them to two hunters from a nearby village. They said they had gone through the Pass, towards Degaña, about 8:10 a.m that Sunday. And they confessed to detectives something they had not told anyone until that moment. Right at the top of the Pass, on the curve, facing the recreational area, they had found a car stopped on the road, occupying part of the left lane. The car was with all the lights on (although according to another version it had the lights off), and forced them to brake suddenly and surround it. Neither they stopped to see what was happening, nor alerted the authorities of the obvious danger of stopped car in that place, nor commented anything the following days, when they heard that in that place and at that time had happened a murder. Never explained their silence. Fear? Did they not wanted trouble? Probably. The fact is that even months later they could have told detectives they had seen nothing, and finally decided to speak. But little could contribute. They said they had seen very little, that one of them was half asleep, and even made conflicting statements regarding the vehicle, one said it was white, while the other said it was dark.

In their book, Garrido and López (Unsolved murders), puts into the mouth of one of the detectives that the two hunters watched two cars, standing one behind another, occupying part of the left lane. The difference between the two versions can be importan, but really neither denies the detectives hypothesis that a car forced to stop Sheila´s car. I think that, probably, the hunters only saw one car, but I will explain why some other time.

She3.jpg
(Source: Google maps and own)


ARRESTED

In July, six months after the murder, the Guardia Civil decided to risk. They suspected Borja, but they had no proof, so they tried something that had worked for them many times: arrest him and trust he collapsed during interrogation. But Borja did not collapse. He claimed he was innocent, repeated (as he had done since the begining) that Saturday afternoon he had been playing soccer, who had dined at his grandfather's house in Villablino, and that then he went home, where he spent the night, without leave. His parents and brother said it was true, and that he had been that night at home. The only evidence presented by detectives was the positive in GSR test, but as it was done 33 hours after the murder, it was not very strong. They also believed that his behavior in the hours and days following the crime was strange. For example, he had not gone to the Pass on Sunday afternoon, as did almost all of Sheila´s friends, or did not attend the funeral. Presented in court, and due to lack of evidence, the Judge decided his release without bail, but available to be investigated, and if appropiate, put on trial.

The most surprising thing was the motive offered by detectives. According to them, Borja have killed Sheila overwhelmed by Sheila´s attempts to resume their relationship and the imminent visit of a girlfriend from Barcelona. According to detectives, the insistence of Sheila to resume the relationship could jeopardize his intention to continue with the Barcelona girlfriend, ​​and Borja would have decided to eliminate the problem by killing Sheila. The motive argued is, at best, poor. Although people kill for the most trivial motives, we are not facing a crime committed in hot, following an argument or a fight, but a crime in cold blood, planned in advance. It is hard to take seriously this motive for a crime, and judges and prosecutors did not. They released Borja without bail, although as a suspect. It is a quite usual judicial measure, allowing prosecutors investigate him, and allowing himself a defence.

At first, the family and friends of Sheila were outraged, pointing out, correctly, that detectives had arrested Borja with the only evidence they had six months ago, GSR positive test. However, the family of Sheila, who at first had been cautious, was convinced by detectives that Borja (to whom they did not know before) was guilty, and talked to the media, trying to put Borja on trial. The Guardia Civiel seemed content with arrest, and felt that they had done their job. There was little else to do. They had taken ten blood samples (Borja, friends, hunters, ...), and compared them with some genetic profiles found in the car and near, but all results were negative. A black scarf, which was found in the back of the car, did conceive some hope, because nobody recognized as Sheila and had a embroidered escutcheon which detectives could not discover the source. DNA from Sheila and from an unknown male was found in the scarf. Another dead end. A fiber found in the scarf was consistent with the fibers of a sweat suit of Borja, but it was not strong evidence either.

Two unidentified DNA profiles were found on the body of Sheila, one in one breast and the other on the neck. It is not known if they were on her before the crime, and today they remain unidentified, but it says pretty much about the poor police and judicial investigation, that they not continue making DNA testing to find this unknown profiles. Once Borja was arrested, the Guardia Civl considered that enough had been done and showed no interest in discover of who these DNA profiles were. Probably because if they identified the source it could jeopardize their theory about the case. Six different judges have faced the case, and none of them decided to prosecute Borja. Finally, more than three years after the crime, in 2007, the judge who was then in charge decided to close the case and remove the imputation of Borja. The prosecutor had supported the same. Both, the prosecutor and the judge, were very critical about the investigation carried out by the Guardia Civil.

(TO BE CONTINUED)
 
EVIDENCE

Detectives, with the active support of the family of Sheila, claimed that Borja must be put on trial based on the following evidence:

1) GSR test. According to the Guardia Civil, the hunting day Borja had one week before the crime could not explain GSR because they had found elements that are not present in shotgun shells, but in handgun shells. That would show that Borja had fired a gun. The residues found in the hand of Borja were the same as those of the cartridge collected at the crime scene.

2) The blue fiber found in scarf, the same type as those of a sweat suit of Borja. He had given the sweat suit when asked for the clothes he wore on Saturday.

3) Access to a handgun. Following the arrest of Borja there were a few search warrants. In one of them, at the house of a Borja grandfather, some cartridges were found in a drawer. Two cops of Guardia Civil present at search made a report the next day saying that Borja's grandfather had asked nervously if they had found a small gun. That would indicate that Borja had access to a gun similar to the murder gun.

4) The testimonies of the Borgia family that put him in the family home at the time of the crime, should be discarded for being stakeholders. It is even possible that they were not at home that night, because sometimes they left to spend the weekend elsewhere.

5) Motive. The one offered by detectives. Borja, overwhelmed by her phone calls and nervous about the visit of his Barcelona girlfriend, was looking to get rid of Sheila.


NOT ENOUGH EVIDENCE

Judges and prosecutor refuted these issues over the years:

1) GSR test does not work. Besides reports and experts say that it can not be established a direct relationship between the residues and the cartridge found in the car, time elapsed between the shot and the sampling makes it almost certain that the residues found in the hand of the suspect are result of a transfer or contamination.


2) Fiber, very common, is from the same type as that of the sweat suit of Borja, but it is not possible to determine whether it belongs to it or to a similar one. And even if we could establish that the fiber was of his sweat suit, not much help, since Borja had been several times in that car, and the fiber could be in the car at any time. A green fiber, much more interesting, was found under a victim's fingernail. It has not been identified.

3) The whole issue of the alleged small gun of the grandfather of Borja is only a rumor. Neither the shells found in his house were the same type of crime, nor demonstrated the existence of the supposed handgun, nor the behavior of the cops is clear. The clerk of the court, in charge of the search, did not reflect anything of that supposedly told by the grandfather, and the agents that hear it not put into writing until the next day.

4) You can not delete the testimony of parents and brother of Borja just because they do not agree with the hypothesis of the detectives.

5) Motive offered is totally subjective and not a single element that serves to confirm it has been provided.


In summary, judges and prosecutors say there is no evidence to prosecute Borja, and that the evidence against him is very weak and has little consistency. The Guardia Civil seems to be satisfied with the arrest of Borja, and it is not investigating the case actively. The family appealed to try to put Borja on trial, but the appeals court rejected that claim definitively in 2008. The family also called for further investigation, but the court also noted that this claim was inconsistent with the claiming that there was sufficient evidence to prosecute Borja .

The case is currently at an impasse. The Guardia Civil says that they continue checking information and clues that come to them from time to time, but the fact is that nobody investigating. The family, desperate, not know where to continue. They are told that there is no evidence against the prime suspect, but also are told that no one will continue investigating

To this day, they still believe in the guilt of Borja. He still lives in the area.


END OF THE CASE PRESENTATION
 
Thank you, Muy, for an awesome job translating all that. Well done.
 
Seeking help to find cases that have common elements with this one. I'm not looking for a relationship between cases, but trying to understand what kind of murders commits certain types of crimes. The truth is that the only precedents I remember reading in which the victim was killed from the back seat are some Mafia crimes. I need the help of websleuthers to find crimes where the victim is intercepted in the middle of a trip, or where is murdered in his vehicle from within. Or other similar topics.


Placing the body

It is one of the great mysteries of the case, and no one has been able to give a convincing explanation. After killing Sheila, the murder decided to remove her vehicle from the road. That would have done to try the crime were not be discovered soon, yet risked being caught, especially if he had left his own car in the middle of the road, as supposed by detectives. So why the waste of time, and risk, to return her to the driver position, attach her feet correctly, and cross her hands on her legs? It makes no sense.
 
Rumors and an easy case

Degaña and nearby villages were a hive of rumors during the early weeks, and everyone seemed to know something, but said nothing concrete. Some journalist were left with the feeling, after talking to cops, that there were overconfidence in those early days on a quick resolution of the case. And that could lead to some relaxation of detectives.


First suspects

All friends and co-workers of Sheila. Particularly, Teo, Borja, the two friends who accompanied her and were the last to see her alive, the son of the garaje owner, the owner of Joe Team and the DJ, and a few friends more. At a second level, some local friends, her boss and co-workers at Gijon travel agency, and other acquaintances.

A few weeks later detectives left only two suspects, Teo and Borja. Both were pointed, more than anyone, by rumors, and the pressure beyond all bearing. Teo locked at home and stopped going out, and as nobody saw him on the streets, some ran the rumor that he had committed suicide. Borja also failed with suspicion and rumors, and he not dared to go to the funeral of Sheila, and in February began to take antidepressants.


Why detectives ruled out some suspects?

The last to see her alive were quite suspicious, but one ot them sent a sms to Sheila when he get home, and detectives were able to determine the time and place from which the message was sent, which cleared him as his friend. Borja said he had not left home that night, and took his fathers and brother as witnesses. Teo neither left home, and a brother was his witness. I guess detectives found alibis for others, but I have doubts as to whether the alibis were checked properly. And I will give an example some other time.

More info soon
 
This seems kind of an obvious thing, but I see no mention of a pregnancy test. During the autopsy did they rule out that she was or had been pregnant?
 
Small caliber bullet, hand-embroidered scarf, no sexual assault....

I think they should have been looking for women with possible motive too.
 
This seems kind of an obvious thing, but I see no mention of a pregnancy test. During the autopsy did they rule out that she was or had been pregnant?

I think nothing was reported in reference to this subject, nor one way or another. But silence indicates that nothing was found, as if it had been found, it would have emerged. Anyway, I will review the newspaper articles from the early days, to see if I find any reference.

A pregnancy. Or a secret affair with a married man, maybe someone with a lot to lose if ... Yes, some thought on that. But nothing was found. Sheila was reserved, but had not a secret life. During the week worked and lived with his sister in Gijón. The weekend came to the house of her parents and worked nights. And detectives had the call list of her cell phone. Nothing was found.
 
I think nothing was reported in reference to this subject, nor one way or another. But silence indicates that nothing was found, as if it had been found, it would have emerged. Anyway, I will review the newspaper articles from the early days, to see if I find any reference.

A pregnancy. Or a secret affair with a married man, maybe someone with a lot to lose if ... Yes, some thought on that. But nothing was found. Sheila was reserved, but had not a secret life. During the week worked and lived with his sister in Gijón. The weekend came to the house of her parents and worked nights. And detectives had the call list of her cell phone. Nothing was found.

It was just a thought that occurred to me when it was suggested she wanted to get back together with Borja, but he was interested in someone else. If he had gotten her pregnant, it sure would interfere with his plans.

The way the body was moved around is just ... odd. It suggests to me that she knew the killer. And maybe, that the killer was not accustomed to this task. I mean, if you were a career criminal, you had a gun, you were in the back seat, and after killing the girl you want the car to be left in a different location, what is the obvious solution? You put the pistol to the back of her head and instruct her to drive to the other location, then you do the deed and leave. Because that is not what happened, it seems to me there is emotion involved. Perhaps the killing was not the initial intention, but some other action using the pistol as motivator. After the kill, there is panic and a quick effort to delay her being found as long as possible by not leaving her sitting on the side of the road.
 
Small caliber bullet, hand-embroidered scarf, no sexual assault....

I think they should have been looking for women with possible motive too.

Among the many theories that were handled at first, the killing woman was not one of them, or at least one that came out in the media. I guess detectives considered it, but certainly found the same problem with the theory of a man, the lack of motive. Sheila was an attractive young woman, liked among men, and that always causes some brush with other women. But in this case there seems to be nothing special. At the time of her death she was not with anyone, so in the theory of a jealous woman we are missing something important. Revenge? It is possible, but no one provided information or data on that topic.

As for the weapon, Spain has very restrictive gun laws, and very few people have license to have a handgun, although some people have them illegally. In this case, although the weapon has never been recovered, it is known to be a gun for firing blanks that was modified to shoot for real. If police catches you with a weapon like this, it means a sentence of two or three years in prison. It has been said that around that area some people have such weapons, and the Guardia Civil found some, but unusual, and very few people, male or female, has a gun like this.

Sometimes I thought of a woman as the killer, especially on the issue of stopping the car of Sheila. A woman would have achieved it much more easily than a man.

It can also be a female accomplice. Nothing in the crime indicates that there was a single murder. In fact, the sister of the victim believes that Borja was not involved alone in the crime, and that murder had sexual motivation, but she does not explain how it fits with the information we have.

Detectives believe that there was only one murder.
 
Normal, law-abiding citizens tend not to have illegally modified pocket guns lying around, I would think. That's the sort of weapon I'd expect to find on petty thugs, and not wealthy ones.

I saw that her 1st boyfriend Teo was dropped because of his 'infidelities'... and that Sheila was intent on dating him again, and seems to have told people she would invite him on that vacation (which Borja wasn't going on..was she trying to make him jealous? Didn't want to waste the tickets?). Teo could have had an intensely jealous (maybe even mentally unstable) girlfriend/ex among the various women he saw. Not hard to see a motive, if that was the case - ex-gf Sheila comes back to him out of the blue, waving holiday tickets... I can see a certain kind of woman getting murderous over that.

I expect police would want to look at all those angles... but weren't they also criticised for the way they handled the case early on?

Was Borja's new girlfriend in the area, at the time of the murder?

Maybe even someone was was trying to terrify her and the murder was accidental, who knows? Just throwing ideas out there.

From everything I know about random shootings by crazy people with no discernable/obvious motive ( ie, Zodiac murders) this crime really doesn't seem to fit. Why would they move her/move the car?

There's certainly a lot questions raised in this case. Right now, I think I'll focus on possible reasons for moving her car.

Thank you for bringing this case here, Muy.
 
Good ideas, mom. I think detectives beleive something similar, but I think they took longer than you. :)

It was just a thought that occurred to me when it was suggested she wanted to get back together with Borja, but he was interested in someone else. If he had gotten her pregnant, it sure would interfere with his plans.

Apparently, the relationship between Sheila and Borja was so shallow that even they did not have sex. Only three weekends, and merely they were together one or two hours and then she took him home. Maybe some kisses and little else.


The way the body was moved around is just ... odd.

Very odd.

It suggests to me that she knew the killer. And maybe, that the killer was not accustomed to this task. I mean, if you were a career criminal, you had a gun, you were in the back seat, and after killing the girl you want the car to be left in a different location, what is the obvious solution? You put the pistol to the back of her head and instruct her to drive to the other location, then you do the deed and leave. Because that is not what happened, it seems to me there is emotion involved. Perhaps the killing was not the initial intention, but some other action using the pistol as motivator. After the kill, there is panic and a quick effort to delay her being found as long as possible by not leaving her sitting on the side of the road.

Good points. But I am convinced that the objective was to kill, from the beginning. If she knew him, once she saw the gun the gun, he had no choice. Another question is when he planned to kill. As you say, it would make sense to force the victim to drive off the road. And then something could happen, panic, or she tried something and he fired. And makes sense too "... a quick effort to delay her being found as long as possible". But then the risk of being seen, or his car, increases in proportion.

But all this happens at the top of a mountain road at night and raining. I've never seen anything like this. If one tries to stop another car under these conditions the most likely is to cause an accident.

More information in coming days.
 
Normal, law-abiding citizens tend not to have illegally modified pocket guns lying around, I would think. That's the sort of weapon I'd expect to find on petty thugs, and not wealthy ones.

I saw that her 1st boyfriend Teo was dropped because of his 'infidelities'... and that Sheila was intent on dating him again, and seems to have told people she would invite him on that vacation (which Borja wasn't going on..was she trying to make him jealous? Didn't want to waste the tickets?). Teo could have had an intensely jealous (maybe even mentally unstable) girlfriend/ex among the various women he saw. Not hard to see a motive, if that was the case - ex-gf Sheila comes back to him out of the blue, waving holiday tickets... I can see a certain kind of woman getting murderous over that.

I expect police would want to look at all those angles... but weren't they also criticised for the way they handled the case early on?

Was Borja's new girlfriend in the area, at the time of the murder?

Maybe even someone was was trying to terrify her and the murder was accidental, who knows? Just throwing ideas out there.

From everything I know about random shootings by crazy people with no discernable/obvious motive ( ie, Zodiac murders) this crime really doesn't seem to fit. Why would they move her/move the car?

There's certainly a lot questions raised in this case. Right now, I think I'll focus on possible reasons for moving her car.

Thank you for bringing this case here, Muy.

You and mom are doing very intelligent observations. Borja's new girlfriend was not in the area. As for the trip to the Canary Islands, it is an information who comes from Sheila's sister. The tickets were in the car, and she had cited Teo on Sunday. But he knew nothing of that journey, or that she wanted to resume the relationship. I do not know if it was a guess of her sister or Sheila told it to a friend.

I do not think that any possible rival might know that information. And these issues usually do no start with a murder. Usually there are threats and scenes before. But as you say, maybe detectives did not make a fine work.

Next week I will put more data to help you understand some things. As the dates of the calls between Borja and Sheila. We will see that the motive offered by detectives is weaker even than it seems.


I think I'll focus on possible reasons for moving her car.

Moving her car, and specially, moving her body.
 
The motive offered by the detectives did not look very strong. According to them, Borja was overwhelmed by Sheila attempts to resume their relationship, and was nervous about the visit to the area of a girlfriend from another place. Sheila was a hindrance to his plans with that other girl, and so have decided to get rid of her. Beyond considering if this arguments are sufficient to explain a crime in cold blood, there are two major problems:

1) The reason given by detectives did not have temporal coherence. A report by the Civil Guard (book: Crimenes sin resolver; Garrido & López, Pg 71-72) show the status of the relationship between Sheila and Borja following the cell phone trace.

-Between November 13 and December 8, 2003, numerous calls and messages from Borja to Sheila and from Sheila to Borja.

-Between December 9 and 13, there were calls and messages from Sheila to Borja, but not from Borja to Sheila.

-From December 14 no more calls or messages between Sheila and Borja.

The picture seems clear. A relationship of just over three weeks what Borja breaks on December 8, probably after learning his girlfriend is coming on December 20. For a few days Sheila calls him and sends messages insistently, but without response. Maybe there were some calls in the following days from home phones, but in mid-December, or shortly after, it's all over. Sheila leaves and went ahead with her life.

Meanwhile, a friend of Borja's girlfriend has told her about Borja´s affair with Sheila, and when she comes on Christmas, breaks with Borja. But it's only temporary, since for January they have reconciled, and again they often speak by phone

That is, when Sheila is killed has been almost six weeks since she had stopped to call Borja to try to resume the relationship. She has made a trip abroad accompanied by a friend, may have had some brief relationship, and is considering returning with her old boyfriend. Borja's girlfriend has come and gone, they have broken and reconciled. He also continues with his life. Where is the motive for the crime?

2) The second problem is that detectives not provided evidence that the situation would cause serious disturbance to Borja. They not presented to judge testimony that he was especially overwhelmed, or that was in a situation he could not control. He did not showed violent behavior and Sheila was not threatened in any way. All he did was behaving childishly, probably with his ego on the moon. One of the most desirable girls in the area, three years his senior, had been pursuing him. Surely he was envied by almost all the guys in a few villages.

They did not get along, but they were not enemies, and no one was alarmed by the situation. Sheila never said anyone she felt threatened by him or was worry about the issue. He kept entering the pub, and just limited their relation to greet. Sometimes Borja asked for the drinks to the DJ, instead of her. Sheila went on to opine that Borja was a brat.

It seems that detectives built the motive from the suspect. Since they had no evidence, they needed to present a motive to make credible the guilt, but there was no motive either, so they grabbed the little they had and stretched it to the limit. The motive given by detectives is inconsistent, weak and contradictory.
 
Interesting and puzzling case. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since reading about it yesterday.

I don’t see how the window being only partially down indicates Sheila knew her killer. The window could have been put into that position after she was killed.

It doesn’t make sense to me that the killer would leave his car on the road. It was after 8 in the morning - it seems too risky. It would have been safer for the killer, IMO, for him to drive off and leave the victim’s car in the road than to possibly have his car observed there. Therefore, I’m skeptical that this is what happened.

I’m trying to imagine what I would do if driving and someone pulled in front of me and stopped. I wouldn’t assume it was someone I knew unless the vehicle was easily recognizable - like by a bumper sticker, dented fender, personalized license plate, etc. Unless they were blocking both lanes, I’d probably drive around the car.

If someone was standing outside a stopped car, I might partially roll down my window to ask if they needed help.

One of her car lights wasn’t working. Could a policeman, or someone pretending to be a policeman, have pulled her over and then directed her to drive to the pull-out spot, followed her there, and shot her there?

Could someone have been hiding in the back seat of her car, and on that mountain road popped up behind her with a gun to her head and told her to pull over? Could someone who worked at the garage made a copy of her car key and gotten into her car while she was working? The problem with this scenario is that the killer would have had to walk several miles to town.

Was the light on her car not working before she took it to the garage? If so, why didn’t the garage fix it? If it was working, maybe someone at the garage disabled it as a pretext to pull her over on the road.

Is it possible that the killer was not in the back seat, but outside? Could the killer have been standing outside the car and placed the gun to the left side of her head from there?

Motive. Those close to her don’t seem to have much of a motive. In bars, some men interpret a waitress’s friendly attention as more than it is, and when drunk, some men get angry when a woman rebuffs them. But most men wouldn’t have a gun.
 
Interesting and puzzling case. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since reading about it yesterday.

It seems you have catched the most essential points of the case.

I don’t see how the window being only partially down indicates Sheila knew her killer. The window could have been put into that position after she was killed.

I think the same. The window could be opened by the killer, or Sheila could open it, but it does not indicate she knew his murderer. Once she stopped, to talk to whoever he was, known or not, she had to open the window.

It doesn’t make sense to me that the killer would leave his car on the road. It was after 8 in the morning - it seems too risky. It would have been safer for the killer, IMO, for him to drive off and leave the victim’s car in the road than to possibly have his car observed there. Therefore, I’m skeptical that this is what happened.

Good point. I have studied the subject in detail, with maps and times, and if we analyze advantages and disadvantages of the two options discussed:

1) The killer leaved and abandoned Sheila´s car in the middle of the road.

2) He parked Sheila´s car, leaving his own car in the middle of the road.

I think both options are tied. By the way, I am also skeptical about this is what happened.


I’m trying to imagine what I would do if driving and someone pulled in front of me and stopped. I wouldn’t assume it was someone I knew unless the vehicle was easily recognizable - like by a bumper sticker, dented fender, personalized license plate, etc. Unless they were blocking both lanes, I’d probably drive around the car.


The problem is that it is a situation that most people never find in life, and most of us do not know the kind of reaction we would. It could happen that or not, but it is not unreasonable to her to stop in front of a car, it was known or not. In response to something so unexpected, the primary reaction of to avoid an accident probably has an advantage over the unconscious alert that may be someone dangerous in that car. At least for a few seconds. Sufficient.


If someone was standing outside a stopped car, I might partially roll down my window to ask if they needed help.

I agree. And I consider it more likely that instead of a car ahead that forces to sotp. Someone alongside a car, or pretending to be hurt. Or disguised.

One of her car lights wasn’t working. Could a policeman, or someone pretending to be a policeman, have pulled her over and then directed her to drive to the pull-out spot, followed her there, and shot her there?

A false police could stop her. But I think it's very unlikely that the shot should occur elsewhere. In that case, the large bloodstains near the right door became unexplained.

Could someone have been hiding in the back seat of her car, and on that mountain road popped up behind her with a gun to her head and told her to pull over? Could someone who worked at the garage made a copy of her car key and gotten into her car while she was working? The problem with this scenario is that the killer would have had to walk several miles to town.

I remember it was one of the first possibilities I thought, many years ago. But it would have been too risky. If she discovered him at the time of entering the car, how would he explain his actions? Neither he knew if she was going to be alone. She could have taken the car to go from work to the last pub. And still remains, as you say, walk down for two hours.

Was the light on her car not working before she took it to the garage? If so, why didn’t the garage fix it? If it was working, maybe someone at the garage disabled it as a pretext to pull her over on the road.

It is not known when melted. It might have been melted and garage workers unaware. Or it could melt later. That stuff happens. It is assumed that detectives investigated it. The owner of the garage, or rather his son, who brought the car to Sheila, was one of the early suspects. But he was ruled out soon, probably for having a good alibi.

Is it possible that the killer was not in the back seat, but outside? Could the killer have been standing outside the car and placed the gun to the left side of her head from there?

It does not fit well with the trajectory of the bullet based on Sheila´s wounds and the mark in the glass. It would be theoretically possible that the killer opened the back door, and without reaching into the car, introduced his hand with the gun and fired. But it would be a very forced position. The most likely explanation is that he was sitting behind her. Also in that place, on the flor of the car, there were a wet bag and a wet newspaper. However, as there was an open window in the car, we must be cautious.

Motive. Those close to her don’t seem to have much of a motive. In bars, some men interpret a waitress’s friendly attention as more than it is, and when drunk, some men get angry when a woman rebuffs them. But most men wouldn’t have a gun.

Someone she rejected, or felt rejected, is an option that has always been present. As the one of an attempted rape that went wrong. But the method used is totally surprising and unusual. Surely there is some precedent in similar cases, but should be very few, because I have not found any. And they should be rare cases for one reason: The murderer does not control the environment.

Killers always try to minimize the possibility that the victim can escape or defend. In this case the victim had at his disposal the best possible means of escape, she was at the wheel of a moving vehicle. In addition, the scene was totally beyond the control of the murderer, it was a road on which cars could go at any time and ruin his plan. It is not a busy road, but it was perfectly possible that a car were a little ahead or a little behind Sheila´s car.
 
Muy Curioso - it is obvious that you have thought long and hard about this case and know it well. Unless they retest evidence for DNA (touch DNA is now possible that wasn't available in 2004), it doesn't seem like this case will be solved with the physical evidence.

There is a television show here called "Cold Justice" where investigators look at cold cases. It's amazing how many they solve (and have gotten several convictions already). Many of them are solved because after the passage of years, many killers have divorced their spouses, or no longer have the same boyfriend/girlfriend or friends, and these ex-spouses and ex-friends are now willing to talk. In addition, sometimes the killers have made comments to subsequent wives/girlfriends/friends like, "You better do this if you don't want to end up like Sheila (or whomever)." I suspect that the only way Sheila's case will be solved is if someone who knows something finally speaks up.

Some responses to your comments:


******
[The killer standing outside the car] does not fit well with the trajectory of the bullet based on Sheila´s wounds and the mark in the glass. It would be theoretically possible that the killer opened the back door, and without reaching into the car, introduced his hand with the gun and fired. But it would be a very forced position. The most likely explanation is that he was sitting behind her. Also in that place, on the flor of the car, there were a wet bag and a wet newspaper. However, as there was an open window in the car, we must be cautious.

If the killer was in the back seat, since the trajectory was from left to right through Sheila's head, do you think the killer was holding the gun in his left hand?

I don't know where on the windshield the bullet hit ... if the window was rolled all the way down and someone standing outside the car had a gun to the side of Sheila's head ... and if the shot was fired just as she started to lean forward to duck and turn slightly away .... could that fit?

********


Killers always try to minimize the possibility that the victim can escape or defend. In this case the victim had at his disposal the best possible means of escape, she was at the wheel of a moving vehicle. In addition, the scene was totally beyond the control of the murderer, it was a road on which cars could go at any time and ruin his plan. It is not a busy road, but it was perfectly possible that a car were a little ahead or a little behind Sheila´s car.

If the killer is someone Sheila knew, most wouldn't know what time she set off for home. Most might assume that she would leave for home at 3 am after her shift ended. It seems unlikely that someone would wait for 5 hours up there for her to appear - they probably would have assumed she was spending the night with her brother and given up.

Unless she texted or called someone around 8 am to tell them she was leaving for home, it seems likely that someone would have had to have followed her from there - unless it was a random person (which seems very unlikely).


******
...But I think it's very unlikely that the shot should occur elsewhere. In that case, the large bloodstains near the right door became unexplained.

What I was thinking of was a scenario something like: After leaving her friends, Sheila drives somewhere else, perhaps to someone's house. Someone comes out to talk to her, or follows her out to her car as she is leaving. She is shot in her car there. The killer moves Sheila to the passenger seat and drives her up the hill where he moves the body back to the driver's seat. This, of course, presents the problem of getting back down the hill - but the killer could have put a bicycle in the trunk - or had an accomplice (Borja and his grandfather???)


 
Just a couple of quick notes:

If the killer was in the back seat, since the trajectory was from left to right through Sheila's head, do you think the killer was holding the gun in his left hand?

I'm pretty sure. It took me much more time than you to realize that it is the option that best fits the evidence. Why detectives have not said? I think I know.

After leaving her friends, Sheila drives somewhere else, perhaps to someone's house...


It's not possible. There was no time.

I will try to develop this better, with photos and maps, and I will also put a time frame.
 

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