The last session of the public trial, which began a week ago, ended at two o’clock in the afternoon yesterday. Half an hour later, the judgment was passed in favor of the accused, to the relief of his family, friends and neighbors who had arrived by the hundreds in buses and taxis from Tela to demand his release.

The testimony of a protected witness who incriminated Álvarez, eventually did more harm than good for the prosecutor’s case. In his final declaration before the court, there were eleven contradictions.

One of the accused’s lawyers, Attorney Ricardo Rosales, said, “They demonstrated the innocence of our client through different means of proof. We were confident that there would be justice because we knew he had nothing to do with what he was accused. The police must be more responsible, and not irresponsibly accuse people.”

The brother of the accused, Onasis Álvarez, celebrated the finding outside the courthouse, “From the outset we believed that my brother was not guilty. We are opposed to the killing, and hopefully the persons who committed the crime will be punished.”

If found guilty, the public prosecutor’s Office had requested a sentence for “The Unicorn” of between 30 and 99 years in prison.

After the hearing, Marcos Joel Álvarez Barahona was brought back to the city penitentiary in Tegucigalpa, as he is awaiting trial for several other offenses, including illegal possession of weapons.