Four on Trial in Valencia for 2022 Contract Killing Attempt in Puçol
Four people face trial at the Valencia Provincial Court over an alleged contract killing attempt in Puçol in December 2022, with a reported fee of €30,000.
Four defendants — three men and one woman — stand before the Fourth Section of the Audiencia Provincial de Valencia (Valencia Provincial Court) charged in connection with a contract killing plot in Puçol. The charges include attempted murder, membership of a criminal organisation, unlawful possession of firearms and concealment. Prosecutors are seeking sentences ranging from four and a half to twenty years and nine months in prison.
The attack took place before dawn on 16 December 2022. Two defendants tracked the victim by motorbike to the factory compound where he worked. Inside the premises, one fired a suppressor-fitted handgun at the victim's head at close range; the shot missed. A second attempt was foiled by an internal mechanical failure in the weapon itself, which spared the target's life. Those who allegedly arranged the €30,000 fee have yet to be identified.
Under Article 139 of the Spanish Penal Code, killing for payment elevates the offence from homicide to murder, substantially raising the sentencing range. Puçol is a municipality in the Horta Nord district sharing a direct border with Sagunto. Reported by El Periódico de Aquí.