Defendants in Jairo Mora murder trial allegedly attack courthouse guard

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At approximately 1:30 p.m. on Monday, one of the seven defendants in the Jairo Mora murder trial allegedly attacked a guard while being transported from his jail cell at a Limón courthouse, the Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ) stated in a press release.

The defendant, who the OIJ did not name in its statement, allegedly shoved and struck a guard who was opening his cell gate. The remaining defendants, held in the same cell, also allegedly rushed and attacked the guard. Security officers rushed to the guard’s aid and defused the situation, the OIJ said. One of the suspects was evaluated by doctors following the incident. Prosecutors say they now will charge the men for assaulting an officer.

The attack happened in the final days of the high-profile murder trial against seven defendants accused of the 2013 killing of 26-year-old Costa Rican sea turtle conservationist Jairo Mora. Prosecutors hope to wrap up that trial this week, and a verdict is expected in early December. All seven men have remained in preventive detention since their arrests last July.

For more coverage of the murder of Jairo Mora and the criminal trial, see:

Why Jairo Died

Court hears from key witnesses in the Jairo Mora murder trial