The trial of an Irishman accused of murdering a Tenerife ferry steward on the holiday island more than 2½ years ago has opened, with the defendant retracting previous statements made to police in which he confessed to the killing.
Keith Burke (21) is accused of murdering Abraham Baez (24) during a fight in the resort of Playa de Las Américas, which is visited by tens of thousands of Irish tourists every year.
According to state prosecutor Angel García Rodríguez, Mr Burke stabbed his victim in the neck with an eight-inch knife, severing a major artery and causing his death almost instantly. The pair are said to have come to blows after their girlfriends got into a petty argument after the Irish couple were accidentally struck by a car door.
His former girlfriend, Sara Stuart (30), is also on trial at the Criminal Court in Santa Cruz, on the lesser charge of causing head and facial injuries to Mr Baez’s partner Laura Negrín.
Mr Burke, who was 18 at the time of the alleged murder, has been on remand in a Tenerife prison since his arrest in April 2010, while Ms Stuart was released on bail in February 2011.
Under cross-examination from Ms Stuart’s lawyer, Mr Burke admitted he had written letters to her while they were in jail and had told her that he “deserved to serve 15 years for what he had done”. However, he said he had only made the written confession to help her.
The trial continues.