Three suspects in Baronia de Rialb killing released by Lleida court

Three people arrested last September by the Guardia Civil and Mossos d'Esquadra as the main suspects in the Baronia de Rialb killing were released on Monday after the Lleida Provincial Court upheld defense appeals, ruling there is no risk of flight or evidence destruction.

The court ordered their provisional release without bail, with the obligation to appear before the judge and a ban on leaving the country. The three — a retired Guardia Civil commander, the owner of a mechanic’s workshop in Lleida, and a business partner and friend of the victim who is also the uncle by marriage of motorcycle racer Marc Márquez — were considered to have sufficient professional, personal and family ties to dispel flight risk.

They are accused of involvement in the January 2022 killing of Joan Coromina Estany, a well-known smuggler linked to the Principality and a native of Oliana. Coromina was found on rural land in the municipality with a gunshot wound to the chest.

From the outset investigators considered the shooter might have been a hired killer, and few details of the investigation had been made public until the recent arrests. After the detentions, some media reports said investigators suspected the retired commander had demanded €30,000 from the victim to assist in a tobacco-smuggling inquiry involving Coromina, a demand the victim allegedly refused; those reports have not been confirmed by the court.