A cellphone audio recording revealed a lawyer’s frantic yells for assist throughout a struggle along with her husband cop earlier than he strangled her at his police academy dormitory room after which buried her physique in a ditch.
María Bernal, 34, used her cellphone to file the encounter with lieutenant Germán Cáceres, 29, at a police college in Quito, Ecuador, the early morning of September 11, 2022.
In keeping with an excerpt from the recording that was obtained by Ecuadorian newspaper El Universo, the two-hour audio disclosed that Bernal screamed for assist ten occasions whereas Cáceres choked her earlier than the recording went quiet.
A lawyer for the household informed the newspaper that the incident was sparked by argument the couple had after Bernal arrived on the police academy and confronted Cáceres for reportedly inebriated and never taking good care of his job as an teacher on the college.
María Bernal (left) was strangled by police lieutenant and husband of 5 years, Germán Cáceres, inside his police academy dorm in Quito, Ecuador, on September 11, 2022. Final Wednesday, Bernal’s mom shared an audio with Ecuadorian newspaper El Universo which revealed how Bernal screamed for assist 10 occasions earlier than she was killed
An agent (proper) with Colombia’s Workplace of the Legal professional Basic interrogates Germán Cáceres (left) moments after arresting him within the Caribbean coast city of Palomino, the place the disgraced former police lieutenant was hiding out and dealing as a bartended
Ecuador cops take away a blanket from the ditch had been the physique of María Bernal was buried by her husband, former police lieutenant Germán Cáceres
The confrontation escalated when Bernal found a bruise close to her husband’s neck-shoulder space. Cáceres then admitted to being concerned in an affair with Josselyn Sánchez – a cadet on the academy – and mentioned that he cheated on her all through the 5 years they had been married.
At one level, Bernal smacked Cáceres and pushed him towards a wall inside his dorm room. Cáceres responded by shoving her into the mattress after which positioned her in a chokehold.
After noticing that Bernal was now not respiration, Cáceres took her physique and hid it within the room.
He then transported the physique to a mountain space 10 minutes away from the police academy, dug up a ditch and buried her. Authorities discovered Bernal’s physique September 21.
María Bernal (pictured) was strangled after she confronted her husband, police officer Germán Cáceres, for ingesting and never taking his job severe as an teacher at a police academy in Quito, Ecuador. The 34-year-old was in a position to file the argument she had with Cáceres when she found that he had a bruise close to his shoulder-neck space and he responded by telling her that he had been dishonest on her. She slapped him and pushed him towards a wall earlier than he shoved her to the mattress in his dorm room and choked her
Germán Cáceres (proper) was hiding out in Palomino, a city in Colombia’s Caribbean coast the place he was additionally working as a bartender
Germán Cáceres (left) together with his spouse of 5 years, María Bernal
María Bernal (left) and Germán Cáceres (proper) had been married for 5 years
Cáceres fled to Palomino, a city in Colombia’s Caribbean coast, and on December 30 was arrested at a bar the place he was working as a bartender.
The disgraced cop, who was fired from the police drive in October, was extradited to Ecuador on January 3. He confessed to killing Bernal and mentioned he did not obtain any assist to bury her.
A police agent in Colombia adjusts {the handcuffs} on Germán Cáceres
Elizabeth Otavalo (proper) cries over the coffin of her daughter, María Bernal, on September 22
Entry to the audio was made doable after Bernal’s 13-year-old son remembered the password to his late mom’s telephone and shared it together with his maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Otavalo.
The emergence of the audio additionally led to Sánchez’s launch final Wednesday from a neighborhood jail, the place she was being held in connection to Bernal’s disappearance and homicide.
‘This audio could free Joselyn Sánchez, however nothing of her conscience,’ Otavalo informed El Universo.