Three men, formerly friends, have been accused of the murder of Belgian Laura Gastón Trappeniers and the disappearance of her husband, Marc Olbrechts Francis, from Callao Salvaje in Costa Adeje in the south of Tenerife. According to the Guardia Civil and the magistrate of Arona’s Court of Instruction No. 1, Massimo N., one of the accused, worked for one of the other suspects, Paul-Michael A., and his son, Luca A., the third alleged perpetrator.
The three suspects are well-known in Callao Salvaje. Paul-Michael A. owned a restaurant in Adeje, described by locals as “friendly.” His son, Luca, is noted to be “somewhat shy” but also pleasant. Massimo N. lived in Callao Salvaje and was involved in construction and renovation work across the south of Tenerife, including projects at Paul-Michael A.'s restaurant. Their friendship extended to their families.
A Belgian news outlet reported that a Tenerife court had ordered Paul-Michael A. to vacate a rental property owned by the Belgian couple, who had allegedly received death threats in the days leading up to their disappearance.
The associates of Massimo N. deny his involvement, disputing that he is theperson seen in a video carrying two rubbish bags from the victims' home in the Sueño Azul area of Callao Salvaje.
Massimo N. is the only one of the three arrested in Tenerife. The other two suspects, Paul-Michael A., aged 44, and Luca A., aged 23, were apprehended in Belgium, their homeland, where they travelled to on Sunday, April 28th, the day after Laura was found murdered.
Massimo N., a long-time Italian resident of Tenerife, is said by those close to him not to be the person in the video exiting the couple’s home. His close associates claim he is only being investigated for concealing evidence.
Both the Guardia Civil and the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJC) confirmed the three men's involvement in Lauras murder and her husband’s disappearance. Following the investigation by the Guard Civil’s Missing Person Crimes Unit, the magistrate ordered provisional detention without bail for all three suspects.
The three men were arrested on June 20th. Massimo N. was the first to be apprehended and jailed, after being intercepted while driving a small truck at the Palm-mar roundabout in Arona. Paul-Michael A. and Luca A. were extradited from Belgium on July 18th to Madrid. The magistrate ordered their preventive imprisonment as well.
