50 kilometers from Zaragoza, the town of Tauste, with 6,800 inhabitants, is known in the region for its Mudéjar heritage, its livestock industry, and traditions such as the dance, which is celebrated every April 21. But in the last week, its name has become famous for the murder in their home of Javier Sánchez (67 years old) and Esther Latorre (66), a well-known couple of agricultural unionists deeply committed to social causes. To the initial, profound, and painful impact, was soon added the arrest of their daughter Carlota (40) and her partner, Luis Carlos R. (31), as suspects, who have been in provisional prison since Thursday.
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“It is senselessness, there is no other word,” says the mayor, Miguel Ángel Francés. Although a week has passed, he acknowledges that in the town no one talks about anything else and that “psychosis” reigns among the neighbors, who greatly appreciated the victims. “We remain shocked, that their days ended like this is very painful,” he adds.
They were a special couple. Javier, already retired, had been the general secretary of the Union of Farmers and Ranchers of Aragón (UAGA) for 12 years, always combative to achieve improvements for farmers and involved in town affairs. “Even if you disagreed, you could talk and reach agreements with him,” notes Francés. For her part, Esther promoted the visibility and rights of women in the rural sector decades ago and got involved in numerous causes as a candidate for mayor for United Left.
Beyond their activism and willingness to lend a hand, those who knew them highlight their love for life and small pleasures, whether sleeping covered in the middle of summer—as on their last trip through northern Spain—or having a beer in good company. “They were real enjoyers,” sums up José María Alcubierre, general secretary of UAGA.
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The crime took place in the early hours of August 8 around 3:00 a.m. That night, the couple had dinner with two friends and went home around one. On Saturday, they had arranged to eat at the pool of the neighboring town of Sancho Abarca, but they never showed up. Worried by their absence and the lack of response to the phone, Javier’s sister and her husband stopped by the house at dusk. The two cars parked at the door and a light on when it was not yet dark raised their fears, confirmed when they found their lifeless bodies with stab wounds: Javier’s in bed; Esther’s on a landing of the stairs.
The suspects changed clothes at some point during the seven hours they spent in the town
The Civil Guard quickly ruled out that it was a gender-based crime. Also robbery with violence, since no valuables were missing and the entrance was not forced in a quiet row house area with no previous incidents.
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The focus soon turned to their eldest daughter, Carlota, who had mental health and addiction problems, especially when they learned that the relationship with her parents was complicated and that they had had serious arguments recently. “We knew they had problems with her for some time and that they tried to take care of her and straighten out her situation,” confirms a source close to the victims. Her lukewarm reaction when informed of the event and some bruises she had increased suspicions.
They were arrested on Monday, shortly after the wake closed, where the couple’s other daughter, who lives in Ireland, was present. Her partner, Luis Carlos R., a Colombian with military training who has been living in Spain since 2024, was also arrested. Their relationship began only a few months ago, and they lived together in an apartment of her parents in Zaragoza. During this time, Javier and Esther helped him with legal matters for his regularization and invited him, along with their daughter, several times to the town.
Thanks to security cameras and the geolocation of their mobile phones, the agents established that the suspects arrived in Tauste by bus shortly before 10 p.m. on Friday and left the town on foot before 5 a.m. heading to Gallur, from where buses also depart to Zaragoza. The images also show that during those seven hours they changed clothes at some point and that, of the two backpacks they arrived with, they left with one.
So far, both have remained silent before the agents and the judge, who sent them to Zuera prison (Zaragoza) on Thursday. Among the pending questions is why it happened, whether it was planned, or the degree of authorship of each one.
The arrested daughter had mental health problems and maintained a complicated relationship with her parents
Meanwhile, the town remains in mourning. More than a thousand people participated in their farewell, a secular tribute in which political, agricultural representatives, family, and friends highlighted their human and fighting stature, joined by messages of support and condolence from associations from numerous countries. Because as Estrella Morata, a personal friend and union colleague, states, “their human quality led them to help others even above their own well-being. The best tribute we can pay them is to continue their fight.”
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