A 21-year old man was fatally stabbed while on vacation in Playas del Coco, a seaside vacation hotspot of Guanacaste and one of the Gold Coast beaches of Costa Rica. According to a news segment broadcast by national television network Repretel, the murder took place on Good Friday at a crowded bar.

 

Agents from the Office of Judicial Investigations (Spanish initials: OIJ) identified the victim with the last names of Leiva Lachner, resident of the upscale community of Escazu, located in the western suburbs of San Jose. The decedent had traveled to Playas del Coco with a group of friends who were taking advantage of the long weekend, which started on Holy Friday and will continue until sundown on Easter Sunday.

 

Apparently, Mr. Leiva and his friends boarded an informal taxi to take them to an after-hours bar. Upon reaching their destination, the vehicle almost hit one of the passengers after the fare had been settled; this situation prompted one of the revelers to strike the vehicle as it was departing.

 

Once the group had settled with their drinks at the bar, a local resident approached them and suggested that they should leave because a mob was on their way to settle the score involving the dented taxi. The young men did not heed the advice and remained at the bar.

 

Moments later, a mob of about 20 attackers arrived at the bar. The revelers bolted, leaving Mr. Leiva behind and in the hands of the vengeful. Mr. Leiva suffered a deep knife wound to the chest in the altercation. He was rushed to the Enrique Baltonado Briceño Hospital in Liberia, the capital seat of the Guanacaste province; alas, he would be declared dead after midnight. On Saturday, OIJ agents were in the community and looking to make arrests in this case.

 

Over the last few years, Playas del Coco has been attracting a high number of North American tourists who arrive in Costa Rica during the high tourist season from late October to about June.