A Dominican man is accused of paying a relative to kill his elderly Swiss lover by shoving her down the stairs in her plush property.
Rosa Jud, 65, was found in a serious condition at a residential complex in the town of Cabarete in the province of Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic on 28th December.
She was taken to a health centre in the municipality of Sosua where she battled for her life in intensive care until succumbing to her head and body injuries on Monday.
The police have since arrested two people in connection with the Swiss woman’s death, her romantic partner William Mejia Sims and Darwin Polanco Surum, 20, believed to be the former’s cousin.
According to reports, Mejia Sims is suspected of paying DOP 20,000 (GBP 258) to the killer to carry out the crime.
The Swiss RJ Forum, an independent forum dedicated to the dissemination of information and delivering justice, said the victim had found happiness in the Dominican Republic.
A friend of the victim, only identified as M.V., said they had been travelling to the Dominican Republic regularly on holiday and that they both decided to make the move permanent in October 2020.
Together, they bought a house with a large garden and pool in Cabarete before the victim met local man Mejia Sims, who speaks German.
A short while later, the suspect moved into a room in the house with the Swiss women when the friend began to grow suspicious of his motives and tried to warn her friend. The living situation soon became untenable and she moved out.
The suspect then invited a relative, possibly the cousin, to take M.V.’s room.
After the victim fell down the stairs and suffered fatal head injuries, which were flagged by hospital doctors as suspicious, the police arrested both men.
The suspects have reportedly admitted their part in the crime as the investigation continues.
There are many cases in the Dominican Republic of young men who start pseudo-relationships with older European or North American women with the sole purpose of extracting money from them.
The women, however, are often blind to the men’s real intentions and believe their relationship is genuine.
The practice is so commonplace that there is even a term for such a man – a ‘sanky-panky’.
