The trial of the three men suspected of the murder of Dutch citizens Johannes Snelders (a.k.a Hans Snelders), his wife Kawitadevi Dhawtal (a.k.a Sita Dhawtal) and their worker, Nicaraguan Richard Abenor Montalbán, which took place December 27, 2015 in Sardinal, Puntarenas, Costa Rica, begins today.

The suspects of last names Zúñiga Rivera, Calderón Manzanares and Angulo Méndez are facing charges for first degree murder and aggravated robbery; the trial will take place in the Puntarenas and will extend through October 16.

The events took place in the ranch “La Flecha”, property of the natives of Holland; the three men apparently were part of a criminal organization which committed several robberies in different areas of Puntarenas; in fact, during this trial, other seven men are also facing charges for aggravated robbery and rape, since apparently, they collaborated with Zúñiga, Calderón and Angulo in different violent break-ins in Esparza and Barranca.

In the case of the Snelders, Dhawtal and Abenor crime, the bodies were not found until January 4, 2016 when a worker entered the property, according to the authorities, the victims had their hands and legs tied with duct tape and had received several gun shots, Johannes Snelders also presented stab wounds. The couple had a timber business on their 400-hectare property and had been living in the country since 2013.

The arrests of the suspects occurred at different times in 2016; Angulo was detained August 28, 2016, while Zúñiga and Calderón were arrested November 30, 2016 in an operation that involved 11 raids in the areas of Barranca, El Roble and Esparza in Puntarenas where the police were able to find additional evidence connecting the suspects to the murder.