Tied up and abandoned after quarrel, Italian killed in Spain

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18 September 2021A 42-year-old Italian from Cuneo, Andrea Costa, a former metalworker, who had been on the island of Gran Canaria for a year, died after being beaten following a dispute that broke out in the middle of the night. The man was handcuffed, tied up and left at home until he died. The man had been running a 'Cannabis club' for a few months, closed in early summer, due to the expiration of the lease.

His tormentors would have abandoned him after having beaten him to death, in the apartment that the victim shared with one of them. Later, having found him lifeless, Costa's body was loaded onto his car, a Lancia, which they then set fire to.

The news, bounced from Spain and published by some local web newspapers, was confirmed in the Cuneo area where Costa lived until a year ago, with his wife and a minor child.

According to the Spanish media, three people have been arrested for the death of the 42-year-old and five others are under investigation: they are accused, for various reasons, of murder, concealment of a corpse and failure to help.

The victim, according to what is learned, had left his job at the Michelin tire factory in Cuneo a year ago, dismissing himself. With the liquidation he had opened a 'Cannabis club' on the island, in Carrizal, called La Guaracha. His wife had followed him to Spain, where the couple had married, in Vecindario, but a few months ago the woman had returned to Italy to resume her work. Costa had instead remained in Gran Canaria looking for another job, as a cook or waiter; in the meantime he was receiving unemployment benefit.

According to the

made by the Guardia Civil and the Judicial Police of Vecindario, the 8 suspects, all Spaniards, last Saturday would have consumed drugs before dining in a restaurant and then they would have gone away without paying the bill, leaving Costa alone in the room. Late at night the Italian reunited with the group and a violent quarrel would break out between him and his flatmate, David José. The latter allegedly beat him, handcuffed him and hid him in the house for over 24 hours, until he died. Then he would set fire to the victim's car to cover up the murder.

The discovery of the burnt car with Costa's body inside dates back to Monday, but the identification took place in the following days. Last night, friends and acquaintances of Costa in the Cuneo area, where the parents and sister also live, exposed some candles in the windows to remember the victim.