Suspect turns himself in after murder of homosexual man
It is a crime that not only shook the scene. A 25-year-old man allegedly killed four men in Spain after luring them through online dating via Grindr. He allegedly gave them Liquid Ecstasy.
Now the case could be about to be solved. The Spanish police have published pictures of the man. The man came forward, but at the same time stated that he was not the perpetrator. The whole thing remains mysterious... Among other things, because many questions are currently still unanswered. Was it really the man in the mug shots who administered the overdose to the victims?
The publication of the mug shots led to the arrest
The murders of the (at least) four homosexuals happened in Bilbao, Spain. Here, mugshots were recently circulated in which the suspect appeared to directly and undoubtedly recognize himself. The 25-year-old decided to turn himself in to the police. However, he also declares that he is not the murderer. Corresponding reports were recently published by the well-known Spanish newspaper "El Pais".
In the course of the media coverage, among other things, it is repeatedly emphasized that there were at least four gay men who lost their lives in the course of the serial murders. There are several other similar murder cases in the area that would also fit the same signature. Therefore, the number of victims of a single perpetrator may still have to be revised upwards after the fact.
Now that the suspect has turned himself in to the police, he was directly arrested.
What connects the murders?
Not only in the Spanish media, but also in the social networks, there is always talk about the so-called "Grindr" killer. Because: All victims were in contact with the perpetrator via the dating app Gridr. This is known and a platform that is aimed exclusively at gays.
Also, the procedure was actually always the same. The killer invited his later victims to his home, drugged them and gave them an overdose, from which they eventually died.
Sometimes, however, it seems that this is not "only" about homophobia, but also about greed. In some cases, the victims' accounts were also emptied.
There is a reason that the mug shots could be created in such detail at all: A gay man, who also dated the perpetrator, managed to escape. And it was he who then turned to the police.
Where do we go from here?
The investigation is ongoing and many gay men in the region are likely to wonder once again how homophobic society is in Spain and how dangerous it is, for example, to go on a sex date. Nevertheless, perhaps it reassures many of them that there is no let up in terms of investigations.
The fact that people are exposed to the danger of homophobic attacks because of their sexual orientation, especially gays and transsexuals, is not new - not only in Spain. In the meantime, however, it seems that the police are doing something about the way they deal with these cases (and the dangers). In Germany, too, many cities are working to raise awareness and train police officers to deal with LGBTQIA+ issues.
The goal: Victims should feel that they are being taken seriously and should in no way be afraid to report the acts to the police. Only when a crime is investigated can those responsible be held accountable.
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