The case of Gerardo Cruz Barquero, a young man who was brutally stabbed days after he documented a man apparently recording an obscene video in the capital city of Costa Rica, is becoming more convoluted. The man whom Mr. Cruz caught in the purported act of attempting to record the exposed legs and buttocks of a young woman wearing a miniskirt has gone public with a few statements, some of which suggest that he has received death threats on Facebook, the most popular social network in Costa Rica.

 

The man has been identified by the Ministry of Revenue as a government employee who works in the accounting section. His name has been mentioned by at least two news media outlets in our country; nonetheless, The Costa Rica Star is hereby choosing to not publish his name in light of recent statements made by his attorney, who was interviewed by daily tabloid Diario Extra. Following is a translation of some of the statements:

 

“[My client] hopes that Gerardo (the victim of the stabbing) will soon recover so that the incident can be cleared up. They are not friends and they do not know each other; people have accused [my client] without knowing the facts. He has received death threats, which have also been made against his [infant] son. He does not wish to leave his house and has lost weight. His family fears for his life. He is worried and has contacted the Office of Judicial Investigations (Spanish initials: OIJ).”

 

It is important to note that the man in question has not been arrested nor charged with any crime.

 

In statements published by online news daily CRHoy.com, the man reportedly challenged anyone to prove that he was actually recording the young woman whose loose miniskirt was flapping in the wind and revealing her backside and bare legs. He also mentioned that he had nothing to do with the stabbing that landed Mr. Cruz in the hospital and nearly caused him death.

 

On October 8^th, The Costa Rica Star reported:

 

The victim, who has been identified by the last names of Cruz Barquero, recently became a social media sensation after an incident that took place in the Avenida Central (Central Avenue) pedestrian boulevard that bisects downtown San Jose, the most transited spot in Costa Rica. On October 5th, Mr. Cruz was walking down the boulevard when he noticed a man filming a young woman from behind. The woman was wearing a loose miniskirt that was flying up every time the wind picked up, and the man behind her tried to capture the moment on his smartphone.

 

The man filming the legs and backside of the young woman was more likely engaged in producing an “upskirt” video, which is a voyeuristic fetish that can be defined as an intrusive style of filming under a woman’s skirt, thus showing the subject’s crotch and underwear. Upskirt videos and images are actively posted and shared on online forums and social networks, and the indignation of the harassed women is often part of the fetish.

 

Mr. Cruz confronted the upskirt filmmaker, but not before turning his smartphone on the deviant and capturing a digital film of the incident, which was posted on Facebook and quickly turned viral.

 

Mr. Cruz is still under intensive care at the Calderon Guardia Hospital.