Spain’s National Police confirmed on Wednesday that they had arrested of a man suspected of strangling an 80-year-old American Catholic priest during a robbery in Malaga, southern Spain.
Father Richard Gross, originally from Boston, was discovered dead in January inside a holiday apartment he had rented in the city centre while preparing to set off on a cruise.
According to Malaga Hoy, officers apprehended a 40-year-old French citizen on Tuesday in Seville. He was taken into custody on suspicion of murder.
Another suspect, a 27-year-old North African man, had already been arrested in late January. Police believe he acted as a lookout during the attack. Both individuals have prior criminal records related to theft.
Investigators suspect the pair followed Gross after he exited a taxi upon his arrival in Malaga, trailing him to the entrance of his rental apartment, where the assault occurred.
‘The priest was approached by surprise and the assailant used great violence in response to the victim’s resistance, compressing his airways until he died,’ the police statement detailed.
Authorities believe the attackers targeted Gross due to his perceived vulnerability. After the assault, the suspects fled with his belongings, including his suitcase.
An autopsy determined the cause of death as ‘asphyxia through suffocation’, according to the police report.
The US branch of the Jesuit order, to which Gross belonged, praised his ‘independent and adventurous spirit’ as well as his ‘high energy’.
Gross, who had previously taught at various schools in the United States, was set to serve as a chaplain on the cruise he had planned to board from Malaga.
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