Jairo Mora loved to teach children about nature. Wikimedia Commons

Some of the mobile phone conversations and text messages between the seven men suspected of being responsible for the killing of environmentalist Jairo Mora in Costa Rica prove that they should not have been cleared of their murder charges. Such is the report published by tabloid and muckraking daily Diario Extra, which has obtained prosecutorial documents that were not filed in court.

As reported by The Costa Rica Star yesterday:

A deplorable investigation and mishandling of evidence have been cited as the key factors in the decision by a Criminal Tribunal in Limón, in the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, to relieve seven male suspects of homicide charges filed against them by inept prosecutors in the Jairo Mora Sandoval murder case.

The judge who read the verdict was not short of condemnation against prosecutors and agents from the Office of Judicial Investigations. Some of her words included:

“There was a break in the chain of custody, damaged evidence, we could not listen to telephone conversations that the Prosecution Ministry did not provide as evidence since they could not even verify to whom the tapped mobile phones belonged to.

Gentlemen, please note that there are log books, registers, security measures, and investigation protocols for this purpose.”

Within the files somehow obtained by Diario Extra, one of the conversations and a few text messages essentially serve as a confession of Jairo Mora’s murder. The Costa Rica Star is translating those excerpts herein; however, please note that we have excised slang and profanity:

Text Messages:

“Where are you?”

“Man, yesterday I fought with Kike and Shadow, he says that you were there”

“you and I dragged that guy on the beach behind Felipe’s car, and you know how things are now.”

Conversation:

“… yes, he can barely stand up, but where are you guys? I need to unlock a phone, I hope you have already left the beach.”

It is important to remember the following details behind the investigation:

The suspects were alleged to have knowm that on the night of May 31st, 2013, 26-year old biologist Jairo Mora was guarding the beach in Moín, north of Limón. The suspects were alleged to also know that he was not alone; four female volunteers, three from the United States and one from Spain, were protecting sea turtle nests along with Jairo.

Jairo and his female companions would prove to be easy targets for the alleged attackers, who essentially had a score to settle since these volunteers stood in the way of their poaching activities. The night ended with the female volunteers being sexually assaulted and Jairo Mora asphyxiated to death.

Jairo Mora died because he was beaten, tied to a car and dragged across the beach, wherein he swallowed copious amounts of sand and asphyxiated while face down on the sand, too weak to turn himself over.

Attorney General to Face Legislative Inquiry

A Legislative Committee on Environment Conservation has called upon the head prosecutor in Costa Rica to testify about how his office failed Jairo Mora, his family and eco-activists around the world. Attorney General Jorge Chavarria has already gone on the defense, stating that the judge from the Criminal Tribunal in Limon went overboard with her condemnation of the Inspector Clouseau-like work performed by his prosecutors in this case. The Attorney General thinks the court in Limon staged a media circus to denigrate the work of the prosecutors and law enforcement agents.

In about a week, sentencing in this case will be read by the Tribunal, and then Mr. Chavarria will probably have no choice but to appeal and attempt to clear the image of his inept office.