Four years after the disappearance and death of the young woman from Valladolid Esther LopezThe case returned to media focus on Wednesday after the preliminary hearing was held at the Instruction Court No. 5 in Valladolid for an evaluation If an oral trial was opened against the only person investigated, Oscar S.MOr if the case is closed due to insufficient evidence, as requested by his defense.
The session lasted only about a quarter of an hour. It is a mandatory procedure in proceedings that go to a popular jury, but its content is crucial and expectations have been at the extreme. At the courthouse door, a crowd of neighbors and relatives of the victim raised banners demanding “justice for Esther,” while the young woman’s sister – who was 35 years old at the time of the crime – indicated that this session was distinguished by “The first point and the end of this nightmare.”
Esther was last seen alive in the early morning of January 13, 2022, after going out for a drink with some friends. Twenty-three days later, on February 5, the young woman’s body was found in a ditch on the VP-2303 highway, leading to Traspenedo. According to the report of the Accident Reconstruction Team (ERAT) of the Civil Guard, the young woman She would have been run over His later death could have occurred from a possible combination of shock and hypothermia.
Since then, the investigation has progressed slowly, totaling more than 500 pages of reports, counterreports, and requests for new action. In November 2023 Judge The case was brought against two of the three who were investigated initials, but he insisted on the charge against Oscar, who placed him that night with Esther in a house near where the accident supposedly occurred.
Which keeps him as the only person under investigation. He asserts that the suspect, after the collision, “did not help the victim,” kept her hidden for hours and He later moved his body to be abandoned In the trench in which he was located. However, these are evidence-based considerations, and this is precisely where the legal discussion of the operation lies.
During the hearing, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the two special charges – against Esther’s parents and the case against Esther’s sister – reiterated their request for a trial to begin. In his writings, the Public Prosecution He requires 18 years in prison For committing a premeditated murder, he demands compensation of 100,000 euros for each parent and 80,000 euros for the sister. For its part, the special charges raise the penalty to 39 and 33 years in prison.
As for Esther’s sister, who was a media presence at the gates of the court and whose testimonies were collected by EFE, there is no doubt about the responsibility of the person being investigated: “It is an important day for them to tell him to stop laughing at everyone, that the circus is over and that he will sit in front of a popular jury.” In his opinion, “there is objective evidence,” including the “Civil Guard report,” which indicates “what happened, when and where.”
Defense insists there is ‘not enough evidence’
For its part, Oscar’s defense holds to the opposite. Their lawyers once again asked for the case to be dropped completely, denouncing the absence of strong evidence that would allow the murder trial to begin. “It seems unbelievable that we are here at a preliminary hearing for murder, when there is also Rare evidence that has been dismantled one by one “This is the defence,” one of the lawyers said after the appearance on Wednesday, in comments reported by Europa Press.
The defense for the sole defendant also requested pending tests that they considered “necessary and necessary,” such as access to the original autopsy images or full information about a second mobile phone that Esther had for which “there was no data.”
Consequently, they also requested a report from the Junta of Castilla y León to determine whether the body showed signs consistent with being outside for twenty days in an area with abundant fauna. Another lawyer summarized that “the evidence we requested does not represent a delay of one day and does not delay the procedures,” noting that there is time to implement it before the trial, if it is finally held.
The case reaches the hearing with several points of friction still open. First of all, run over. The Civil Guard report – from July 2022 – indicated that the victim was run over when he was walking around Calle Dos in the city of El Romeral with his back to vehicles, and that the collision was “at a medium or low speed,” between 40 and 45 km/h, without the impact being sufficient to cause his death, which would have occurred later due to a possible combination of factors such as shock and hypothermia.
but, Independent counter report Which the defense presented on May 16, 2025, concluded that the injuries would have been more serious if the accident had occurred as described by Benmerita. The study, prepared by the Laboratory of Mobility, Biomechanics and Health Studies (MOBIOS), associated with Comillas University, highlights that “in light of the results obtained using the simulation model and the injuries identified in the radiological and autopsy study performed, it is unlikely that Esther López de la Rosa was run over according to the circumstances described in the ERAT IP 01/2022 report.”
Another disputed issue is the discovery of the young woman’s DNA. They found each other Esther’s remains In the trunk of the car of the person who was investigated, but it is not considered direct evidence at the legal level, as the remains of other people also appeared in the car. Fibers from clothing from Valladolid were also found in Oscar’s home.
On the other hand, the accused confirmed in his statement that he did not wash his car, but security camera images show a person – possibly Oscar – washing a car from the scene of the accident. Same brand, same color Hours after Esther disappeared. However, the quality of the recordings is so low that it was not currently possible to clearly identify the license plate.
Finally, the discrepancies in the statement of the only suspect – who changed his story up to three times – would be for the accusations “a clear sign of guilt”, although for the defense they could be justified by “habitual confusion” after consuming a large amount of alcohol. Oscar explained that before going home to sleep after going out for a drink, he left Esther near his house. But geolocation of the victim’s cell phone places her at the defendant’s home after 3:00 a.m.
What happens now?
Once the hearing is over, the judge must now decide by order whether to open an oral trial or adjudicate the case. The decision could be known in the coming days – or weeks – and would mark a new turning point in one of the most high-profile and controversial cases of recent years in Castile and León.
If the investigating judge decides to open an oral trial, there will be only one thing missing Determine the appointment datesince all parties have already submitted their qualification documents.