U.S. Citizen Suspect In Killing of U.S. Citizen

POLICE arrested a U.S. citizen andhis Colombian girlfriend on Monday assuspects in the killing of U.S. citizenBenjamin David Wood, 33, although nomotive has been established.Dennis Emmett, 67, and SandraCorrales, 28, have been ordered to servesix months of preventive detention whilepolice investigate the crime, JudicialBranch spokeswoman Sandra Castro said.Wood’s body was discovered in aditch along the highway in San Miguel deTurrúcares, Alajuela, west of San José, themorning of April 15. He died of a gunshotwound through the right eye, the bulletexiting the back of his head, according toinvestigators.Wood’s Costa Rican girlfriend identifiedthe body the next day; her name wasnot released by the Judicial InvestigationPolice (OIJ). When she heard an unidentifiedbody was discovered in the area, shesuspected it might be that of her boyfriendwho had disappeared the evening of April14. She alerted authorities and identifiedthe body, indicating Wood was last seen inthe home of his boss, Emmett. Wood wasthe manager of a business and a plot ofland Emmett owned.Police searched Emmett’s home inTurrúcares, near the road where the bodywas discovered, Sunday afternoon.They discovered bloodstains in hisRange Rover that laboratory tests laterproved were of human origin. Samples arenow being compared with Wood’s bloodto determine a DNA match. The resultsshould be known within two weeks,according to the OIJ.Also found were sheets marked with apermanent marker, similar to a sheetfound beside Wood’s body, and four guns:three pistols – two 9mm and a .32mm –and one .22mm rifle.On Tuesday, investigators sprayedEmmett’s home with luminol, a chemicalthat reacts to hemoglobin in blood.Preliminary results for traces of bloodin the home are positive, OIJ spokeswomanMargarita Morales told The TicoTimes. Investigators have not yet foundthe bullet that killed Wood.Private guards near Emmett’s homesaid they saw Wood enter the home at 10p.m. the evening of April 14, followed byCorrales at 11 p.m. They told police theyheard an argument between Corrales andEmmett. Later, the guards heard a shotfired, but were not alarmed, and the OIJ didnot have an explanation as to why not. Theguards noticed, however, that Emmett andCorrales left that night, but Wood did not.