The man who police originally identified as a second suspect in the savage rape and murder of Rosa Elvira Cely is now being treated as a witness after he offered new details about the case.
According to El Colombiano newspaper, the man, who has not been identified, told prosecutors that he met Elvira and Javier Valasco, the main suspect in the attack, at a bar near the school they all attended. They drank several beers together before he separated from the pair, who stayed at another table.
He saw the pair drinking together but said that he never saw them give each other a “kiss.”
Afterwards, the witness left the bar.
Because he had not taken his motorcycle, he told prosecutors that he “stepped for a moment in the National Park.”
Elvira, a 35-year-old single mother who worked to support her children by selling sweets on the streets, was discovered semi-naked in Bogota’s National Park on May 23rd. Officials said that she suffered stab wounds in various parts of her body and blows to her face and head, as well as injuries to her genitals and internal organs. She died four days later from her injuries; her death later sparked protests in Bogota condemning violence against women.
Besides details about the night of the murder, the witness also told prosecutors that he had spent time with Elvira in the past, but they were with large groups of people dancing. He described Elvira’s suspected attacker as being known for his “good humor” in school.
“No one in school can believe this,” he said. “He is very sociable.”
The witness was later released by prosecutors.