Spanish priest, 80, found naked and strangled to death at home in ‘lovers dispute’ – as man, 40, arrested
- Father Alfonso López Benito, 80, was found dead in his apartment in Valencia
The body of an elderly priest accused of paying male migrants for sex was discovered naked in bed in his Spanish apartment.
Alfonso López Benito, 80, a former canon of Valencia’s cathedral, was found dead on Tuesday by a friend and caretaker who had come to visit him.
An autopsy revealed that he had died of asphyxiation and had probably been dead for several days.
A 40-year-old South American man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. He is described as a Peruvian immigrant and is said to have tried to use the priest’s bank card at a local bar.
Police have theorized that Father Benito’s death could have been the result of a violent argument between lovers.
Alfonso López Benito, 80, former canon of Valencia Cathedral, was found dead on Tuesday by a friend and caretaker who had gone to visit him
Father Benito was reportedly asked by the archbishop’s office in Valencia to stop taking loved ones to his home, which was owned by the Catholic Church.
Neighbors are said to have complained about the noise from the late priest’s meetings.
According to local media reports, there were no signs of a forced entry and no obvious signs of injury to the body, leading them to suspect that the killer was not a stranger.
However, someone had used Father Benito’s phone to send messages to his friends and colleagues in the period after his death, raising investigators’ suspicions.
Initial reports claimed he would be leaving Valencia for a few days on a personal errand.
A later message was reportedly sent to the caretaker after the body was recovered.