Behind Bars - Shot in the Spotlight (Desde la Celda: Crimen en León)

THIS DOCUMENTARY IS BASED ON INFORMATION

FROM JUDICIAL SOURCES AND FROM PEOPLE INVOLVED

THE CONTENT REFLECTS THE STATEMENTS

PROVIDED BY THEM. ALL OPINIONS EXPRESSED HERE

ARE PERSONAL, NOT THE POSITION OR THE COMPANY'S OPINIONS

SOME SCENES INCLUDE RE-ENACTMENTS,

PRODUCED FOR CLARITY

THE COMPANY HAS BEEN DILIGENT IN ITS RESEARCH,

AND PRESENTATION, AND HAS RELIED ON RELIABLE SOURCES

During all the years we've been serving our sentence,

we've had time for deep and sober reflection,

which has led us to the following conclusions:

that violence should never be the means

to resolve any kind of dispute.

We reject any course of action that is not peaceful

and believe in using the channels that society

and the rule of law provide. As a result of this,

I wish to offer a sincere, full, and absolute apology

for the acts for which we were convicted.

The President of the Council of León,

shot dead in the street.

Three gunshots ended the life of Isabel Carrasco.

She was murdered this afternoon on that footbridge.

Police arrested two women, a mother and daughter.

Montserrat confessed, stating she was motivated by hatred.

Triana has consistently denied any involvement in the homicide.

I know there are things you can't do. I do.

But what would it be? Her or my daughter?

Tell me, are you sorry for what you did?

No.

My name is Montserrat González,

and I'm sentenced to 22 years for the death of Isabel Carrasco.

I am Montserrat Triana Martínez González,

and serving a sentence as an accomplice

to the murder of Isabel Carrasco in León.

THE LEÓN MURDER

You do a lot of deep reflecting in here,

and I hope nothing like this ever happens again.

-Triana, are you a believer? -Yes, I am.

Your mother once said, "God has already forgiven me."

Do you feel that God has forgiven you?

I don't remember my mom saying that. I believe God is love.

God forgives everyone.

MAY 12, 2014 LEÓN, SPAIN

HOME OF TRIANA AND MONTSERRAT

16:40 PM MONTSERRAT AND TRIANA LEAVE HOME

4:52 PM MOTHER AND DAUGHTER PART WAYS

5:12 PM CARRASCO LEAVES HOME FOR THE LAST TIME

5:17 PM

MONTSERRAT MURDERS ISABEL CARRASCO

We're just getting chilling news.

The President of the PP in León has been shot and killed.

- Just minutes ago. - Right in the heart of León.

Right now, her body is on a footbridge.

Police sealed off the area,

preventing anyone from getting close.

The chief on duty called me and told me a woman had been shot

on the Bernesga footbridge.

MARTÍN MUÑOZ NAVARRO FMR. LEÓN POLICE CHIEF

So, I immediately went over on a little moped I had,

and I was among the first to arrive at the crime scene.

When we got to the scene, you could just feel the tension.

IGNACIO ALIJA MERILLAS

PATHOLOGIST, IMLYCF OF LEÓN - ZAMORA

We were dealing with the murder of perhaps the best-known politician

-in the province of León. - We are a strong party.

We are a hard-working party.

Isabel Carrasco was a divisive figure in León.

And so, there was this uncertainty

about who could have possibly killed her.

It created a lot of confusion.

There are two main projectiles that caused her death.

The projectile entering from the back breaks the D11 vertebra,

it has a slightly upward trajectory,

reaches the heart, perforating the right atrium

and entering the ventricle.

RIGHT VENTRICLE

Then there's the projectile- what we call wound number one-

the one that struck her in the head.

That one caused very severe brain damage,

which killed her instantly.

If you were to hire a hitman to take someone out,

that would be pretty much the modus operandi.

The body was still on the footbridge

when I got a call from the local police.

They told me, "Chief...

we have two women in custody in our car

who murdered Isabel Carrasco."

They said, "The wife and daughter of the Astorga police commissioner."

Honestly...

I was completely stunned.

It's a job situation where you think, "They've arrested the wrong people."

Was it a hitman? No. Some lowlife?

A wanted fugitive? No, not that either.

It was a housewife, with help from her daughter.

Another surprise in the Isabel Carrasco murder case.

At midnight, Montserrat González confessed to the crime

to the officers interrogating her, but she insisted she'd acted alone.

Montserrat González, the confessed murderer,

tried to clear her daughter, Triana, during her court statement.

My daughter had no part in this. I'm the only one responsible.

I knew the family and so, like everyone else,

despite my profession, I was in shock.

When I began analyzing the crime professionally,

I started asking myself questions.

Is it true what she's saying? That Triana had no part in the crime?

Or is Montserrat lying to take all the blame herself?

And that raises another question.

What relationship do a mother and daughter have

that leads them to commit a murder like this together?

VILLABONA PRISON, ASTURIAS

Everything's hard in prison. It's very hard.

For us, being the wife and daughter of a cop,

it's even harder.

Because they know who we are, and they look at us a certain way.

And, you know, cops aren't exactly the most beloved group in prison.

It's very tense.

If I stop and think about it, I don't know how I get through it,

because every single day is impossibly hard.

The people who love me are the ones who help me keep going.

My loved ones in here, like my mother,

and my loved ones out there waiting for me.

That keeps me going.

That's the only way I can explain it, because...

I don't know how I do it.

And honestly, Triana is wonderful.

Because she's such a really great daughter.

I would describe my mom as...

the best mom.

A super mom. A real mother.

Just amazing.

The trial for the murder of the politician

from the People's Party of León, Isabel Carrasco.

JANUARY 18, 2016

Anticipation is high at the León Courthouse,

located near the Provincial Council

where the victim, Isabel Carrasco, served as president.

40 Media outlets are accredited.

With a total of 160 journalists and technicians covering the trial.

Murderer! Murderer, you bitch! Murderer!

In the trial for Isabel Carrasco's murder,

The witnesses took the stand.

The first to testify was Pedro Mielgo,

the retired officer who witnessed the crime.

You're a police officer on reserve, aren't you?

Yes. Then I was a National Police officer on reserve status.

Did you tail pickpockets? You were trained in surveillance.

-You pick up a thing or two. -Pedro Mielgo was the ideal witness.

BEATRIZ LLAMAS CARRASCO FAMILY'S LAWYER

If it weren't for him, no one would have ever figured out

that those two, Montserrat and Triana,

were the ones who planned Isabel's murder.

Where did you come from? Where were yougoing?

My wife and I were crossing the footbridge

that connects Paseo de Salamanca and Condesa Street.

We saw two women approaching.

My wife recognized the first one,

she said, "Look, that blonde woman...

must be someone important because I've seen her on TV."

And about two meters behind her, more or less, was another woman.

My wife said to me, "That must be her bodyguard."

So we kept walking, about 15 or 20 steps, more or less.

And right then, we heard a noise, like a firecracker.

So we turned around.

And someone behind the blonde woman shot her three times.

But what really struck me was the last shot.

I was just... I couldn't believe it. She shot her from so close,

smoke came out and the woman's head bounced on the ground.

My wife got scared when she saw her coming,

so I grabbed her arm.

I told her, "I'm going to follow her."

I told him, "You go. I'll stay and call 112."

The footbridge. A woman's on the ground, shot.

- I thought they were firecrackers! - Was she attacked,

was she shot? She's on the ground, she looks dead.

- How many are injured? Just one? - One. Another shot her and ran.

So, I followed her

and she kept walking

until she was across from Plaza Colón.

PLAZA COLÓN

And when I entered Plaza Colón, I lost sight of her.

- Do you have an emergency? - Shots were fired over here,

but the woman got away. I don't know where she is.

- The attacker? You're following her? - Yes, but I lost her.

And what was she wearing? Do you remember what she wore?

She was wearing a parka,

like, a beige color.

A beige parka. Any other details, sir?

I'm alerting the police now. so they can...

Anything else, sir?

- Sir? - Just a moment.

Okay, take your time.

Police are arriving, right?

- Sir? - Yes, she's over here. Over here.

She went in there. Where'd she go?

- That's the shooter. - You spoke to the police?

Where is she? That's her. Her, her, her, her.

This one right here. Her.

That's her. Be careful, she has a gun in her purse.

Come on. It's her. I'm telling you. It's her.