"Gringo" Murder Trial Starts in Nicaragua. Would you be afraid if it were you?
By caribe
@caribe (2465)
United States
January 24, 2007 1:32pm CST
I ran across a news item this morning on the internet quite by accident, a story that I somehow had missed here in Nicaragua. An American guy that runs a bilingual magazine here, which he started a couple of years ago, was accused of murdering his girlfriend even though she was killed some two hours away from where he was at the time. He has all kinds of witnesses that can vouch for where he was and phone records. Despite all this he narrowly escaped a mob yelling that they were going to kill the gringo when the police were transporting him from the jail. The police fled and left him to fend for himself against the mob. He ran into the courthouse to get away from the mob. This happened in November and he is still in jail and his trial begins tomorrow. I have read all the information available and I don’t believe he was responsible for this murder at all. He was nothing but kind to the girlfriend buying her a business to run for her own. I think a jealous local guy killed her but they let him go free. I told my husband to make sure he didn’t get himself killed because I might end up in prison for it.
For me this is scary stuff and it brings home the fact that I am living in a foreign place where it is easier to blame the gringo/gringa than to check the facts. It is a place where the police can be bought. I already knew that before this happened. I have been insulated from most of the anti-foreigner sentiment because of my husband and his family and I have nice neighbors. What do you think about this? Would you be feeling uneasy?
4 people like this
4 responses
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
25 Jan 07
Yes I think I would be uneasy in those
Treasures In You
There are treasures in life, but owners are few
Of money and power to buy things brand new.
Yet you can be wealthy and feel regal too,
If you will just look for the treasures in you.
These treasures in life are not hard to find
When you look in your heart, your soul, and your mind.
For when you are willing to share what's within,
Your fervent search for riches will end.
The joy and the laughter, the smile that you bring;
The heart unafraid to love and to sing;
The hand always willing to help those in need;
Ones quick to reach out, to labor and feed.
So thank you for sharing these great gifts inside;
The caring, the cheering, the hug when one cried.
Thanks for the energy, encouragement too,
And thank you for sharing the treasures in you.
~Unknown~
Please Visit Again Soon
yes I would be worried under those circumstances. With mob mentality you just never know what will set people off. I would keep a low profile. Thank god you have a lovening family and good neighbors. I'll keep you in my prayers. Our Father will take care of you.
1 person likes this
@caribe (2465)
• United States
25 Jan 07
I would love to reach out to him, but under the circumstances I don't think that I will, at least for now. Thank you for the beautiful poem. I am going to copy it. You are such a good friend. Thank you also for your prayers and I believe that God will take care of me as he has so far. Hugs!!
@ossie16d (11821)
• Australia
27 Jan 07
This is awful and unfortunate that the "lynch" mentality is being applied. The main concern is whether or not he can get a fair trial because he is not a native of the country, but rather a foreigner. Also with the overwhelming amount of evidence and the fact that the police still charged him with the murder makes one think that something is amiss.
I would take extreme care if I was living in a country other than my own, and particularly one which does not seem to have the same values as I am used to. It is scary stuff caribe and it must make you feel a little uncomfortable at times. I really hope that Eric Volz has a great legal team to defend him and that all the documents are copied and the copies held in a separate place for safe keeping.
I did notice from the website that he is due to go to trial, so keep your eyes and ears open caribe but at this time, I think you are better off keeping a low profile on this one.
@caribe (2465)
• United States
19 Feb 07
I read that Eric Volz finally had his trial and was found guilty and is supposed to serve 30 years, if I understand it correctly. I read an article in a spanish newspaper about it which tells a very different story than the one on the internet told by his friends and family. At this point, I don't know who I believe. The newpaper editor feels he had a fair trial, his family and friends do not. I don't envy his position at all, even if he was freed from prison, his life will never be the same again. I don't know how he will survive in prison either because over here if you have a family in prison, you have to take them food or they don't get fed, if I understand correctly. He had been taken out of the prison for his own safety before the trial and held under house arrest in a secret location, so I don't know how long he will last if he is put in the prison. This is really a sad case and the people of this country are so sure he killed the girl. There should have been DNA evidence that would have cleared or convicted him in the USA but I don't know if that was handled right here or not.
@ossie16d (11821)
• Australia
5 Mar 07
It is always hard to know the real truth in these cases. It would only be natural that the newspaper editor would say he had a fair trial, because to say much else could mean trouble for the editor, but that is not to say he is wrong in his statement. I would also expect the family and friends of Eric Volz to say that he is innocent and didn't receive a fair trial. It will certainly be very harsh for him in prison, particularly if the people believe he did actually kill his girlfriend. At the same time I am certain that the American Embassy will be doing what they can to ensure the safety of Eric Volz. As for the DNA evidence, it depends on how much weight was put on that at the trial, when his defence team received it and whether they could do their own testing. I hope and pray that he is safe, regardless of whether he is in prison or being kept somewhere else.
Thanks for giving me best response on this one caribe. :)
@wmg2006 (5381)
• United States
25 Jan 07
That is absurd! There is no way I could stay in a place like that without living with constant fear and paranoia. This guy has no defense just because he is a foreigner. It is like the girl that was murdered in Aruba. When you are in a foreign country you have do as the locals expect. I feel sorry for the guy and wish him the best. I really hope you are always careful and your husband will always be there to support and protect you.
@caribe (2465)
• United States
25 Jan 07
I really can't say that I have been afraid living here. I take precautions and don't leave anything to chance. I have jewelry but I rarely wear more than a simple wedding band. I don't carry a purse and rarely have money on me. We have a security wall around the house and the doors and gates are locked most of the time. But you can do everything right and still something can happen like it did to this guy. Here is a link to a web page that his mother put up. http://www.friendsofericvolz.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
@oldboy46 (2129)
• Australia
10 Apr 07
Glad it wasn't me ... and it is enough to put most decent people off living in another country or a country which has the mentality that "foreigners" are easy targets. Do you feel safe living in the country when things like that goes on?
I see from later things that the man was convicted and is now in jail for a rather long time ... maybe there is a prisoner exchange system between Nicaragua and the US. At least that way he might get back to his own country sooner rather than later .... it cannot be good for him being in a prison. More so if the people of the country think he did it simply because he is a foreigner.
@caribe (2465)
• United States
10 Apr 07
And I am glad it wasn't me, as well. No, I don't feel totally safe here. I feel fairly safe as long as I don't have any kind of accident or other brush with the law here. No, I don't think that the US and Nicaragua has any kind of prisoner exchange agreement. From what I have read in the papers here locally, the people here think he is guilty of killing this young lady, I would think that he is very vulnerable in the prison. He can't just blend in because he doesn't look Hispanic.
