THIS DOCUMENTARY
IS BASED ON INFORMATION
FROM JUDICIAL SOURCES
AND FROM PEOPLE INVOLVED
THE CONTENT REFLECTS
THE STATEMENTS
PROVIDED BY THEM.
ALL OPINIONS EXPRESSED HERE
ARE PERSONAL, NOT THE POSITION
OR THE COMPANY'S OPINIONS
SOME SCENES
INCLUDE RE-ENACTMENTS,
PRODUCED FOR CLARITY
THE COMPANY HAS BEEN DILIGENIN ITS RESEARCH,
AND PRESENTATION, AND HAS RELIED
ON RELIABLE SOURCES
During all the years
we've been serving our sentence,
we've had time
for deep and sober reflection,
which has led us
to the following conclusions:
that violence
should never be the means
to resolve any kind of dispute.
We reject any course of action
that is not peaceful
and believe in using the channels
that society
and the rule of law provide.
As a result of this,
I wish to offer a sincere, full,
and absolute apology
for the acts for which
we were convicted.
The President
of the Council of Len,
shot dead in the street.
Three g*nshots ended the life
of Isabel Carrasco.
She was m*rder*d this afternoon
on that footbridge.
Police arrested two women,
a mother and daughter.
Montserrat confessed,
stating she was motivated by hatred.
Triana has consistently denied
any involvement in the homicide.
I know there are things
you can't do. I do.
But what would it be?
Her or my daughter?
Tell me,
are you sorry for what you did?
No.
My name is Montserrat Gonzlez,
and I'm sentenced to 22 years
for the death of Isabel Carrasco.
I am Montserrat Triana
Martnez Gonzlez,
and serving a sentence
as an accomplice
to the m*rder of Isabel Carrasco
in Len.
BEHIND BARS:
THE LEN m*rder
You do a lot of deep reflecting
in here,
and I hope nothing like this
ever happens again.
-Triana, are you a believer?
-Yes, I am.
Your mother once said,
"God has already forgiven me."
Do you feel that God
has forgiven you?
I don't remember my mom saying that.
I believe God is love.
God forgives everyone.
MAY 12, 2014
LEN, SPAIN
HOME OF TRIANA AND MONTSERRA16:40 PM MONTSERRAT AND TRIANA
LEAVE HOME
4:52 PM
MOTHER AND DAUGHTER PART WAYS
5:12 PM CARRASCO LEAVES HOME
FOR THE LAST TIME
5:17 PM
MONTSERRAT MURDERS
ISABEL CARRASCO
We're just getting chilling news.
The President of the PP in Len
has been shot and k*lled.
- Just minutes ago.
- Right in the heart of Len.
Right now,
her body is on a footbridge.
Police sealed off the area,
preventing anyone
from getting close.
The chief on duty called me
and told me a woman had been shot
on the Bernesga footbridge.
MARTN MUOZ NAVARRO
FMR. LEN POLICE CHIEF
So, I immediately went over
on a little moped I had,
and I was among the first to arrive
at the crime scene.
When we got to the scene,
you could just feel the tension.
IGNACIO ALIJA MERILLAS
PATHOLOGIST,
IMLYCF OF LEN - ZAMORA
We were dealing with the m*rder of
perhaps the best-known politician
-in the province of Len.
- We are a strong party.
We are a hard-working party.
Isabel Carrasco was a divisive figure
in Len.
And so, there was this uncertainty
about who could have possibly
k*lled her.
It created a lot of confusion.
There are two main projectiles
that caused her death.
The projectile entering from the back
breaks the D11 vertebra,
it has a slightly upward trajectory,
reaches the heart,
perforating the right atrium
and entering the ventricle.
RIGHT VENTRICLE
Then there's the projectile-
what we call wound number one-
the one that struck her in the head.
That one caused very severe
brain damage,
which k*lled her instantly.
If you were to hire a hitman
to take someone out,
that would be pretty much
the modus operandi.
The body was still on the footbridge
when I got a call
from the local police.
They told me, "Chief...
we have two women in custody
in our car
who m*rder*d Isabel Carrasco."
They said, "The wife and daughter
of the Astorga police commissioner."
Honestly...
I was completely stunned.
It's a job situation where you think,
"They've arrested the wrong people."
Was it a hitman? No. Some lowlife?
A wanted fugitive?
No, not that either.
It was a housewife,
with help from her daughter.
Another surprise in the
Isabel Carrasco m*rder case.
At midnight, Montserrat Gonzlez
confessed to the crime
to the officers interrogating her,
but she insisted she'd acted alone.
Montserrat Gonzlez,
the confessed m*rder*r,
tried to clear her daughter, Triana,
during her court statement.
My daughter had no part in this.
I'm the only one responsible.
I knew the family and so,
like everyone else,
despite my profession,
I was in shock.
When I began analyzing the crime
professionally,
I started asking myself questions.
Is it true what she's saying?
That Triana had no part in the crime?
Or is Montserrat lying
to take all the blame herself?
And that raises another question.
What relationship
do a mother and daughter have
that leads them to commit a m*rder
like this together?
VILLABONA PRISON, ASTURIAS
Everything's hard in prison.
It's very hard.
For us, being the wife and daughter
of a cop,
it's even harder.
Because they know who we are,
and they look at us a certain way.
And, you know, cops aren't exactly
the most beloved group in prison.
It's very tense.
If I stop and think about it,
I don't know how I get through it,
because every single day
is impossibly hard.
The people who love me are the ones
who help me keep going.
My loved ones in here,
like my mother,
and my loved ones out there
waiting for me.
That keeps me going.
That's the only way I can explain it,
because...
I don't know how I do it.
And honestly, Triana is wonderful.
Because she's such a
really great daughter.
I would describe my mom as...
the best mom.
A super mom. A real mother.
Just amazing.
The trial for the m*rder
of the politician
from the People's Party of Len,
Isabel Carrasco.
JANUARY 18, 2016
Anticipation is high
at the Len Courthouse,
located near the Provincial Council
where the victim, Isabel Carrasco,
served as president.
40 Media outlets are accredited.
With a total of 160 journalists
and technicians covering the trial.
m*rder*r! m*rder*r, you b*tch!
m*rder*r!
In the trial for
Isabel Carrasco's m*rder,
The witnesses took the stand.
The first to testify
was Pedro Mielgo,
the retired officer
who witnessed the crime.
You're a police officer on reserve,
aren't you?
Yes. Then I was a National Police
officer on reserve status.
Did you tail pickpockets?
You were trained in surveillance.
-You pick up a thing or two.
-Pedro Mielgo was the ideal witness.
BEATRIZ LLAMAS
CARRASCO FAMILY'S LAWYER
If it weren't for him,
no one would have ever figured out
that those two,
Montserrat and Triana,
were the ones who
planned Isabel's m*rder.
Where did you come from?
Where were yougoing?
My wife and I were crossing
the footbridge
that connects Paseo de Salamanca
and Condesa Street.
We saw two women approaching.
My wife recognized the first one,
she said, "Look, that blonde woman...
must be someone important
because I've seen her on TV."
And about two meters behind her,
more or less, was another woman.
My wife said to me,
"That must be her bodyguard."
So we kept walking,
about 15 or 20 steps, more or less.
And right then, we heard a noise,
like a firecracker.
So we turned around.
And someone behind the blonde woman
shot her three times.
But what really struck me
was the last shot.
I was just... I couldn't believe it.
She shot her from so close,
smoke came out and the woman's head
bounced on the ground.
My wife got scared
when she saw her coming,
so I grabbed her arm.
I told her,
"I'm going to follow her."
I told him, "You go.
I'll stay and call 112."
The footbridge.
A woman's on the ground, shot.
- I thought they were firecrackers!
- Was she attacked,
was she shot? She's on the ground,
she looks dead.
- How many are injured? Just one?
- One. Another shot her and ran.
So, I followed her
and she kept walking
until she was across
from Plaza Coln.
PLAZA COLN
And when I entered Plaza Coln,
I lost sight of her.
- Do you have an emergency?
- Shots were fired over here,
but the woman got away.
I don't know where she is.
- The attacker? You're following her?
- Yes, but I lost her.
And what was she wearing?
Do you remember what she wore?
She was wearing a parka,
like, a beige color.
A beige parka.
Any other details, sir?
I'm alerting the police now.
so they can...
Anything else, sir?
- Sir?
- Just a moment.
Okay, take your time.
Police are arriving, right?
- Sir?
- Yes, she's over here. Over here.
She went in there. Where'd she go?
- That's the sh**ter.
- You spoke to the police?
Where is she? That's her.
Her, her, her, her.
This one right here. Her.
That's her. Be careful,
she has a g*n in her purse.
Come on. It's her.
I'm telling you. It's her.
I followed her all the way
from the bridge.
Check her purse.
Montserrat claimed it wasn't her,
that the man was crazy.
And that she was, well, the wife
of Astorga's police commissioner.
Along with that a well-dressed woman,
a high-end car for that time
she didn't fit the profile
of the m*rder*r of
Isabel on the footbridge.
They search the trunk, find glasses,
a heavy coat, and a scarf.
She has taken off her clothes
and put them in the trunk.
The police are convinced
that it's true
everything Pedro Mielgo has said.
When Triana arrives,
she tells the local police
she was coming from a pastry shop.
One of them goes to check
that it's closed
and confirms that she's lying.
And so, they proceed
to arrest both women.
Had you planned for it to happen
on that specific day?
The opportunity presented itself,
because I went out that day,
because Triana went shopping,
because my birthday was on the 19th.
So, she went out, and I went walking
and saw her.
So, it was... I don't know,
just a coincidence that I saw her.
Had you gone out with the g*n
in your purse before?
Yes, a few times.
I know I shouldn't have done it,
especially not at that time,
because I wasn't thinking about it,
you know? I wasn't planning it.
But it was, I don't know,
like an impulse,
something that... I don't know.
Do you remember that moment?
I just don't want to think about it.
Not anymore.
It's best to forget the bad things.
The bad stuff.
In the trial for
Isabel Carrasco's m*rder,
the women facing up
to 23 years in prison
are in court today.
The defendant,
Ms. Montserrat Ascensin Gonzlez,
will you be testifying?
I'll only answer
my lawyer's questions.
-Only your lawyer?
-Only my lawyer.
The defense strategy, logically, was
for the sh**ter to take the blame
which was indisputable
but Triana's involvement
wasn't so clear-cut.
When you saw Isabel,
please tell us where she was.
She was over by La Alborada,
and I saw she was about to cross.
Cross where?
She was about to use the crosswalk
to get to the footbridge,
-across from the outpatient clinic.
-Did you call her then?
When I got to the crosswalk,
I called her first.
Did she know you'd k*ll her?
-No, no, no, no.
-I said go to the car.
And so, since she saw me
acting all nervous,
she asked me what was wrong.
The defense's argument
throughout the entire trial
was that Triana didn't know
what her mother intended to do.
We now continue with the testimony
of the second defendant,
Ms. Montserrat Triana
Martnez Gonzlez.
Please have a seat.
So your mother called you from her
iPhone 4 around 5:16 p.m.?
Yes. She told me to go to the car,
and asked where I was.
She said, "I see her.
I see her. Carrasco."
"Today this all ends, you'll see..."
And I said,
"Don't do anything stupid.
-Wait, I'm coming. Where are you?"
-Then I hung up.
I think
when they arrested Montserrat,
she assumed she would be convicted.
She was crystal clear,
obsessed with freeing her daughter,
which is understandable, really.
You didn't need your daughter
for what you had planned.
Exactly. The last thing I needed
was to involve her.
Into trouble, no?
Get her into trouble.
How could I do that?
I think it was the mother, right?
It was Montserrat who said,
"I'm the alpha female," right?
"I'll take full responsibility
for this."
Tell me, do you regret
what you've done?
No.
But why? Why don't you regret it?
Because if I said I did,
I'd be lying.
At trial, she said, "I k*lled her.
I don't regret it. I'd do it again,"
with that iron-willed matriarch
persona that struck us all, right?
"Case closed. I'll take the fall.
I k*lled her and I'd do it again."
I went to a school in Gijn,
the Asuncin School,
until I went to university
in Santander.
At the University of Cantabria,
I studied telecom engineering
and specialized
in radiocommunications.
Triana was brilliant;
she was ambitious,
she excelled in her studies,
and she thought
the world was her oyster.
It was one of the...
I had looked it up...
Telecommunications was one
of the most difficult degrees,
and I figured giving it a try
couldn't hurt.
Her mother shielded her from reality.
She never taught her to be grounded,
so she thought life was easy.
The thing I loved about Triana,
was that she loved her degree.
She loved it.
She'd come to Len for her projects.
It was what she was meant to study.
It was her calling.
And their relationship wasn't
a typical mother-daughter one,
but more like friends.
That's a tricky situation.
She was a charming lady,
because when we went out for drinks,
she'd come along.
She was just one of the g*ng.
You knew if Triana was coming,
Montse was too.
The mother and daughter were
a completely inseparable team,
a well-oiled machine. They were
a big presence for each other
and they spent a ton of time together
and shared practically all
of their life goals.
At one point, and not just for a bit,
but for an extended period
the mother moved to Cantabria
while she was at university.
That right there tells you
what their relationship was like,
how they didn't really act
like a mother and daughter.
I decided to do my final thesis
with the Erasmus Program in Germany.
I went to Ulm.
And then my mother came
to my thesis presentation.
To see me there.
-She's an only child, right?
-Yes.
What has your relationship
with your daughter been like?
If you could tell us.
-Before these events.
-We were very close,
because when Triana was little,
she had a back problem.
And from the age of 12 to 18,
she had to wear a back brace.
I was always with her
because my husband worked
and he was away a lot.
So, I was always looking after her,
the whole time, until she was 18.
When she had that problem,
which is quite a...
The act the mother and daughter
put on for the jury,
was definitely to make us believe
in that emotional dependence...
Please, may I have some water?
One of them pulls a g*n on her...
No, don't move.
We'll bring it to you.
When Triana was testifying,
maybe her throat got dry,
or she was thirsty,
her mother went to give her water.
As if to say, "Poor baby,
here's water."
But come on, it was all staged.
It looked very, very forced.
Triana was clearly trying
to fool the jury,
but a lot of evidence showed
that in reality
she wasn't the vulnerable daughter
she wanted us to believe she was.
When the police looked
through all the devices
and Montserrat and Triana's
cell phones,
they found a marijuana grow op.
Montserrat smoked it for back pain,
which helped.
It's common knowledge
that it has therapeutic properties.
I'd smoke it to take the pain away
and also to make tea,
Made with milk.
And is it true you even planted it
in your grandmother's garden
-to make it cheaper?
-Yes.
But we planted it there.
It wasn't a grow op, just a garden...
-How many plants?
-Exactly. There were just four.
That really showed us they aren't
your typical, normal people either.
They aren't the mother and daughter
they claimed to be.
They're strange people,
to say the least.
I had read a bit about that,
and we didn't add anything.
It was completely natural,
because apparently...
there are these things...
People who use it for other purposes
use some kind of sulfates,
I don't know the exact name.
They're fertilizers that modify
the plant to have more THC.
To make it more...
for sales, more potent.
Ours was all natural,
so it just grew like that.
It was sunny and they grew tall.
That's why we have the photos.
The marijuana thing
seemed like a side note,
but there was stronger evidence
that shattered that innocent image.
WARRANT FOR ENTRY AND SEARCH
LEN, MAY 12, 2014
ENTRY & SEARCH GRANTED
AT THE HOME OF
MONTSERRAT TRIANA
MATRNEZ GONZLEZ
During the search at your daughter's,
where you were living,
there were photos of Isabel Carrasco,
and Provincial Council members...
Did you get those from the Internet?
-Yes, yes.
-You were obsessed with Isabel.
And the photos of Isabel Carrasco,
at openings, at parties...
-This... why, why do you keep them?
-Probably downloaded from...
When you sync your phones,
they stay on your computers.
The photos were from...
when you browse websites, download,
or get WhatsApps, etc.,
it all gets saved in folders
that end up on the computer.
The photos of Isabel, those extensive
collections of photos of Isabel,
They explained that they had been
obsessed once, especially Triana,
but that she'd gotten over it.
The obsession arose from the conflict
Triana had with Isabel Carrasco.
When did you join the People's Party?
I joined in March 2006.
March 2006. Right.
Did someone have to sponsor you?
Yes, a family friend said
he wanted to get me into the party,
that he'd sponsor me.
When you joined
the Provincial Council,
do you have to take a test,
or what's the procedure?
Or are you just appointed?
How does that work?
They announced and created
what's called a job bank.
That's what they mean by
"make it look legit."
They hire a temp from the job bank,
then make the position permanent.
Is "going through the motions"
a phrase politicians often use?
Yes.
And what do you take
"making it look legit" to mean?
That it's all for show?
Yes. To hide that they are giving you
a permanent spot directly,
you seem to come from a job bank,
that you're a temp, and then later,
through the normal procedure,
the job is officially yours.
You were at the Provincial Council
for a very short time.
How long was it until
the government changed?
-It was a month later. Yes.
-Is that when Isabel took over?
Isabel Carrasco is a key figure
in the recent political
history of Len.
She can go straight to Mariano Rajoy,
and to Jos Mara Aznar,
and to the People's Party top brass.
We have the best candidates,
and we're in it to win it.
Mr. President, we are going to win
the elections in Len.
She rules the People's Party
with an iron fist.
She rose to prominence
in Castile and Len.
I swear on my conscience and honor
to fulfill the duties
of the office of council member
for the Provincial Council of Len.
Isabel Carrasco, first woman to lead
the Council of Len,
officially took office this morning.
Her only problem was
you were with her or against her.
No middle ground.
Completely, to you. No threats.
No threatening, okay?
- I'm focusing...
- No threatening.
I'm focusing on...
Quiet.
The People's Party spokesman speaks.
She had a strong,
imperious personality.
Maybe even despotic at times.
I don't care!
We're talking about 2014.
It's surprising when a woman
has that personality.
But maybe it was the only way she had
to make them listen to her
or respect her.
Ever since I was 23,
I became a Treasury inspector.
I started working, and it was
just me surroundedby men.
A woman, barely five-foot-one,
five-foot-three,
she came from a humble background.
She has to navigate a man's world,
the political world.
And I think if she wasn't so tough,
they would have eaten her alive.
I believe that in politics,
you have to take risks.
Isabel Carrasco was the new
strongwoman in Len politics.
She was everything in Len.
And Triana's old political patrons
were of no use to her anymore.
Excuse me for a moment, please,
pay attention.
They're telling me...
Triana and Isabel got along well,
at first,
because Triana is a brilliant
telecommunications engineer.
People told her it was strange
because no one got along with her,
none of the previous team.
But she and Triana really got along,
actually.
One day in 2008, when she saw
I looked more serious and downcast,
she asked me, "What's wrong?"
And I told her, "Well,
I got a 1,300 VAT bill for my car,
from importing it from Germany
for emissions."
She said, "Pfft, it's just paperwork.
I'll help you, don't worry."
And soon, my appeal was approved.
I didn't pay. She helped me.
The president would call her
for everything.
And then there came a point
when an incident occurred,
of a sexual nature.
She comes up to me...
She says, "You people from Astorga...
-...you smell so good," and so on.
-What was that?
"What a lovely perfume."
People at the Provincial Council
had asked me
what I was wearing.
I wore the Bvlgari cologne she liked.
Why the perfume?
Because she came over, got close,
kissed me, tried to touch me,
grabbed me from behind,
holding me there,
because she saw I was pulling back.
I didn't want to kiss her.
As I was leaving, she said:
"But think it over carefully.
Your job posting is already out..."
Go on. Tell us.
"Your job posting is out,
and if you stay, you've much to gain
and little to lose."
That sexual harassment claim
is preposterous.
No one in Len
is going to buy that argument,
especially knowing Isabel Carrasco.
They kept saying
it was a defense strategy...
But it wasn't a defense strategy.
It could have been,
but it wasn't a defense strategy.
What did you do? Your reaction?
Tell us. It's very important.
That you detail exactly
what happened.
And the truth is,
after that incident,
that's when the all-out persecution
against Triana began.
Triana, when did things go south
with Isabel?
Like I said during the trial...
I couldn't bring myself
to get any more intimate with her.
And, to be honest, I don't know
if I want to get into that right now.
Several sources we consulted,
which we're reporting on iLen,
mention a talk
between Triana Martnez
and Isabel Carrasco,
the Provincial Council president,
in the president's own office.
Isabel Carrasco's huge blow-ups
were a regular occurrence
during her time at the Council.
An argument that took place
in late summer 2010
and ended with them screaming.
And in this case,
it was because Triana refused
to follow Isabel's orders
to take the position they offered her
at the Provincial Council.
Some say they heard a huge fight
between you and Isabel,
that they heard you yelling at her.
Is any of that true, Triana?
I have never yelled
or raised my voice at anyone.
Maybe the other way around.
Triana is a
telecommunications engineer.
She's a woman with a
strong academic background,
and in fact, she's also known
for having a brilliant mind.
At the Provincial Council,
she has ambitions,
she has political aspirations.
Let's just say
she wants to be in charge,
to have some control.
She's after power more than
professional success or money.
Mother and daughter were confident
they could build a political career.
In fact, their comings and goings
in their Mercedes convertible,
from one rally to another,
from one soiree to the next,
They were well-known and legendary.
There wasn't a single
important PP political event
that the mother and daughter
didn't attend.
Gradually, seeing her opportunities,
she starts to get carried away
and eventually becomes a bit obsessed
and starts digging her heels in
on the matter.
And of course,
her boss is a very powerful woman.
Isabel Carrasco rules
with an iron fist.
And so, that's where things
start to go wrong,
because Isabel would
absolutely not tolerate
any kind of insubordination
like that.
The clashes between Isabel and Triana
reach a turning point.
Triana wants a permanent post
at the Provincial Council
through a civil service exam,
and she asks Isabel Carrasco
for help.
But Isabel turns her down.
Regarding your civil service exam,
did you send a message
to Isabel Carrasco
or speak with her partner
to get help with that exam,
and leak the questions to you?
I ran into Amabilio and he said,
"Go on, call her. Ask her. She'll..."
Because it was common knowledge,
that at the Provincial Council
all technician and assistant jobs,
were usually...
it was all about who you knew.
And he said, "Call her, she will..."
So I sent her the message,
but she never replied.
-And you sent it?
-Yes.
I recall talking to her
in Isabel's office,
where she mentioned them,
not by name.
So what did she say?
She told me, "Some crazy women
are making my life miserable."
They think because they're
in the PP and have friends,
they can waltz in.
Triana feels uneasy
at the Provincial Council.
Her time is running out
and she knows her bond with Carrasco
is over.
You can't cope without me!
Isabel Carrasco's position
was always the same:
"With me or against me."
Being with her meant keeping your job
and to keep having access
to the opportunities Isabel offered.
Opposing her meant being cast out
and wiped off the map.
I was a mess. I don't know.
I was in a very, very bad place,
seeing the state Triana was in.
I was a wreck. I didn't want
to do anything. It was pure apathy.
I just... I was losing the...
I didn't even want to eat.
People would call me to go out,
to get coffee,
and I didn't feel like it.
It was apathy, sadness. I felt gray.
I could see sadness all around me...
Everyone looked at me
with pity and...
I don't know.
I wasn't myself.
And on top of that,
it was day after day after day.
She couldn't snap out of it.
She started losing weight. Oh, God.
Montserrat lived with Triana in Len,
not in Astorga with her husband,
because Triana was going through a
difficult time
because of the harassment,
which was no joke
and has been proven,
that she was being subjected to
by the Provincial Council president.
So it's natural for a mother
to worry about her daughter.
I don't know. It's just...
It's horrible.
It was horrible.
Truly horrible. I mean it.
Some people in Len confirmed
that Isabel Carrasco
would get on the phone,
and she wasn't content
with just having her gone,
but she also tried to close
every possible door for Triana,
even in other provinces, you know?
And there was nothing
you could do. No.
She had so much power,
so, so much that you couldn't...
because she did... she could do
whatever she wanted. That's power.
The Provincial Council president
sent Treasury inspectors after her,
and they audited everything she had.
And if the boss saw
a Provincial Council member
in a bar talking with Triana...
If they talked or were seen with her,
had coffee with her... that was it.
She'd screw them over.
She'd sic the Treasury on them.
And all of her friends, too.
It was horrible,
because she didn't want
her to socialize
or be with anyone at all.
She tried to isolate me
from my friends.
People would turn away from me
on the street,
so they wouldn't be seen greeting me
or admitting we were friends.
It's just that it's better... It's...
I just couldn't understand it.
What I'm about to tell you
is pretty heavy.
You could grasp the mother's view,
as a mother,
not justify her actions in any way,
of course.
But the mother, as she explained,
was that she was afraid
Triana would take her own life,
and they knew others in their circle
who had committed suicide.
She did seem sincere to me
when she talked about that.
Because you could see she was...
very upset and outraged, you know?
About how she said
her daughter had been treated
at the hands of Isabel Carrasco.
It's just... Look, we...
Triana had a friend from school
who committed suicide.
She jumped before a train.
Then, another one
also jumped from the...
A girl... We were...
We were friends with her parents.
She was a young girl with depression,
and she jumped from the win...
It was horrific.
All I could think about was
what happened to those girls,
because it really happened.
And honestly, I was scared.
That she wouldn't tell me
and would do the same as those girls,
the ones I knew, or the son
of my husband's colleague...
Some jumped, another shot himself...
Oh, God, it was just horrific.
And you just never know
what might happen, you know?
The truth is, what she did...
It was... it was...
I don't want to think about that.
I want to ask you
something sensitive,
but I think it's important, Triana.
Did you ever want to end your life?
I'm sure I did.
It's very difficult, you know?
I might have often thought about
what I was doing, what's the point...
I don't know... I guess so.
We might be able to empathize,
perhaps through a flawed mechanism,
which is to imagine the situation
we imagine we would be in
if faced with an extreme situation.
The mistake here is that they weren't
actually in an extreme situation.
We're talking about
someone's life being taken
because she was thwarting
the financial and career aspirations
of another person.
I think she starts to develop
delusional behavior,
but to be clear,
it's not a psychotic delusion.
It's a cognitive distortion.
And from that point on,
she starts riling up her mother.
And I think that,
from living together,
start to lose touch with reality
when it comes to her job,
the Provincial Council, Isabel...
and they begin to create
their own hell.
They became wrapped up
in one another.
I think they develop a so-called
mass hysteria, a psychosis,
even a delusion in which there's
a very insular feedback loop.
A team mentality.
A very "it's just us
against a hostile world" mentality,
in which the seed of the m*rder
begins to grow.
For me, that's the most
psychopathological part.
In other words, it's past obsession.
This would be considered a delusion.
Meaning, this is the persistent idea,
impervious to any logical reasoning.
That this person has to disappear.
The mother is the avenger.
She decides she's going to fix it,
and she knows how.
They're venomous. They poison,
and there's no cure.
The virus of hatred, of resentment.
I think
manipulative personalities always
have some degree of self-awareness.
And while it's true the mother
was the one who pulled the trigger,
I think the pressure Triana put
on her mother was immense.
How can an intelligent person
not be able to,
someone with a college degree,
who's educated,
who has so many gifts?
How could she not be manipulative
with her mom's unconditional love?
The truth is, it was so intense,
so painful, seeing Triana
like that, that...
I know you can't do things like that,
but there was just no other way.
It was her or my daughter.
In the Isabel Carrasco m*rder trial,
today, the accused's husband
and father,
who is a police inspector,
stated that he knew nothing
of his wife's plans.
Pablo Martnez admitted
the animosity
that his wife had for the victim,
but stated he was unaware
of her plans.
-Do you swear?
-I promise to tell the truth.
I'd define Pablo Martnez
as a good guy.
An old-school cop, not just in age.
He came from the executive ranks,
promoted to chief inspector.
His professional level was very good,
and personally,
he was a good-natured guy.
Anyone you ask in Astorga,
in Gijn, or anywhere else,
will have an excellent opinion
of this man.
Naturally, they investigated him.
He had nothing to do with it,
and so the man was there, suffering
throughout the entire case and trial.
Did you notice she was unwell
or having a bad time?
-Very unwell.
-Very unwell.
-Very.
-Very unwell.
Did you call a psychologist
or take her to the doctor?
I didn't, because her mother
was calling the doctor
and psychologist.
They had the medical situation
under control.
I never got involved.
He had tried to convince them
that she shouldn't stay in Len,
that she should go work elsewhere,
but they didn't listen to him.
He had no authority over them.
A very good person,
but he didn't have...
People are who they are.
And they are very dominant,
of course.
We are seeing in Triana
and Montserrat
two extraordinarily
strong personalities.
Besides, Triana is an only child.
We can see there what is known
in psychology
as the "treasure child."
It's the child for whom
the entire family unit
devotes itself and cancels
their individuality
so that this family member
can achieve all of their goals.
And so, if you don't
go along with it,
you're usually left out.
You say Triana didn't
tell you many things.
-Not many.
-You also say you didn't ask her.
I ask just enough.
When I see she doesn't answer,
I ask just enough.
So you knew very little
about her life.
That's your opinion.
I knew her life from A to Z,
completely.
Without asking her,
I knew it from A to Z.
You knew it all, right?
-Not everything.
-Everything I could.
I think he was defeated
and had given up on the mother
and daughter as a lost cause.
My father loved me like crazy.
I mean, it was... like he wasn't...
My father wasn't oblivious.
He had a terrible time.
My father was very good,
very tender, very affectionate,
very intelligent,
a friend to his friends.
The best husband, the best father.
My father was honorable.
And he saw that I was a wreck.
And he, of course, was not oblivious,
not at all.
Whatever image has been conveyed,
but he was encouraging me.
It was the opposite of its portrayal.
The trial for the m*rder
of Isabel Carrasco,
is entering its second week.
The case continues to raise doubts
and new developments.
In Len, the third week of the trial
for the m*rder of Isabel Carrasco.
Fourth week of the trial
for the m*rder of Isabel Carrasco.
The prosecution has shown
new evidence found
during the search
of the apartment they share.
Evidence that
compromises Triana Martnez.
During the search,
police also found a small note
on which there were different makes,
models of pistols and revolvers.
And the handwriting on that paper,
according to the expert reports,
is hers.
-Is that right?
-Yes, she had me...
-So the notes are yours.
-I wrote down some things, yes.
They were models of pistols,
revolvers, and prices.
Yes.
Did your mother ever tell you
that she wanted
to k*ll Isabel Carrasco?
Yes. For how long...?
She had told me on one occasion.
When...
After the summer of...
She had me look up
and write down some things,
because she told me
she couldn't take it anymore.
Wait, she had you look up things?
Look up g*ns?
Yes.
She had you look up g*ns,
as she wanted to die?
-Yes.
-Is that right?
-Yes.
-And you agreed?
When she told me,
I didn't expect that and...
I wrote it down,
I didn't think much of it.
So you looked for the g*ns
and wrote down the models,
the price, the sellers.
Yes. She told me to do that
and I did it.
But a few days later,
I spoke with her
and told her no, that she couldn't...
that she couldn't do that,
even though...
I knew she was doing it for me,
but that she shouldn't get into
that kind of trouble.
-It was...
-You didn't want to k*ll her?
No.
They gave confusing explanations
regarding the g*ns and the searches.
Above all, what they were not able
to properly justify
was why there was such persistence
over time
in the search for weapon systems,
for revolvers, for models.
And what made less sense
was an explanation of
how that weapon was acquired.
Montserrat made us
or wanted us to believe
that she had gone to Gijn one day
to buy from a drug addict
on the black market,
that she bought a g*n in that square,
on the black market.
But no one ever believed
that outlandish theory.
I gave him 2,000, 2,000 euros.
Regarding the g*n,
many things stood out:
how they got it,
but also how they hid it.
Pedro Mielgo,
the witness to the crime,
claimed that he saw Montserrat
put the g*n in her bag.
But when the police arrested her,
the g*n was not found.
The officers found no trace
of the p*stol
they allegedly used.
Between the crime and the arrest,
seven minutes had passed.
Where did they hide the p*stol?
The object that caused
a person's death
is always important
in an investigation.
To make absolutely everything fit,
it was very necessary to have,
to have the weapon.
The detainees refuse to cooperate
with the police.
They have given no clues.
That's when a mysterious character
in this crime appears:
Triana's police officer friend,
Raquel Gago.
The moment the arrest is made
and they're brought to the station,
the chief of police
of Castile and Len
sent some expert police officers
from Burgos...
What did the police officers
from Burgos do?
They set a little trap for her.
They told her that Triana could solve
the matter,
but that it was essential
for the weapon to appear.
And then the mother broke down.
She said she wanted to testify
to excuse and exonerate her daughter.
She said, "The weapon isn't
in the river or the dumpsters,
because a third person
has the weapon."
And that's when her daughter, Triana,
nudged her and said,
"Don't say anything, mom.
She's a police officer."
That was the first time
that Montserrat directly involved
Raquel Gago in the case and the plan.
The police officers from Burgos came,
and they also tried to be very nice.
They came saying they were
my father's friends.
It was a textbook deception,
but I lived in a police station.
It's not...
It's not any...
I felt... I could talk to them.
And you trust them
because, of course,
you've spent your whole life...
We were with everyone,
with police officers living there.
What do you think?
You don't think, right?
And I wanted to know
why Triana had been arrested.
Montserrat always acts
to protect Triana.
She believes she can exonerate her,
so she confesses about the weapon.
After the m*rder,
Montserrat flees
toward Plaza de Coln.
At that moment,
Pedro Mielgo loses sight of her.
Montserrat heads to the passage
that connects the square
with Gran Va de San Marcos.
Triana is waiting for her there.
They passed the weapon
in the passageway,
a place
that not even those of us from Len
knew well.
It's a strategically perfect place
to hand over that weapon.
After exchanging the weapon,
the mother and daughter
separate again.
Montserrat goes toward the car,
but she's unlucky,
and Pedro Mielgo finds her again.
So Pedro notifies the police,
and they arrest her
without the weapon.
When Triana appears
a few minutes later,
surprisingly,
she no longer has the weapon either.
Her friend, officer Raquel Gago,
has it.
The next day,
the community police inspector
tells me,
"Raquel wants to talk to you
as soon as possible."
I call her immediately,
and she tells me the story she told
about how she found the weapon.
What happened? Tell me.
We were just going to put a bicycle
in the car
to take it to be fixed.
I opened the door behind the driver.
I saw something black
that could have been one of my bags.
I went to move it and saw
that it was the purse.
I got very nervous because
I had lent that purse to Triana.
She hadn't returned that purse to me.
Then I saw something shiny inside
that I identified
as part of a weapon.
And did you agree to
her leaving that purse here?
Of course not.
At first, I absolutely believed her.
I mean, I had no reason
not to believe her.
But then, immediately,
the testimony of the parking
enforcement officer came up.
The parking enforcement officer
was unlucky for Triana and Raquel,
because he witnessed
what he wasn't supposed to.
Before the crime, Raquel parked
on Lucas de Tuy Street,
near the m*rder.
She waited.
The officer arrived.
On May 12, did you meet Raquel?
-Yes.
-Where?
-On Lucas de Tuy.
-Whereabouts?
From Gran Va de San Marcos
to the Countess.
The parking enforcement officer
saw Raquel Gago by her car,
and they started chatting.
He told me they chatted
for over 20 minutes.
Two minutes after the crime,
Triana called Raquel
from a prepaid phone.
And right after,
Triana appeared with the weapon
in her bag.
Did a girl arrive then?
Yes. We were deep in conversation
when that girl arrived.
-Did you see Triana coming?
-Yes.
-What did you do?
-I said, "Hello."
And they were...
I don't think they heard me.
I asked her if the car was open.
I pressed it.
It was the only thing in my hand,
My phone was in my pocket.
I left the bag because it was heavy.
I planned to pick it up soon.
Should Raquel have seen it?
She was facing forward.
-I suppose so.
-No, I didn't.
-You didn't see it?
-No.
Could Raquel perfectly see
the back door of the car
from the position you say she was in?
Yes, because she was facing
Gran Va de San Marcos.
Triana told her she'd go
to a nearby fruit shop,
and she never showed up.
I remember discussing this story
with the investigating judge.
What she found strangest was
she waited there for so long.
And then there's a kind of triangle.
There's a triangle
between where she died,
where Raquel waited,
and the car where they were arrested,
which are all within
100 to 150 meters apart.
Since Triana had called Raquel
at 5:19 p.m. with that prepaid phone,
a call that lasted 17 seconds,
she had told her, "Stay. I'm coming.
I'll leave you the weapon,"
as planned.
The parking officer's statement
and that phone call
made Raquel Gago the third defendant
in the m*rder of Isabel Carrasco.
I got up one morning. I went in.
I went to the station as a witness,
and came out a defendant.
Raquel Gago's the great mystery.
The great mystery.
I know nobody who followed this case
who can explain
for Raquel Gago's role.
What was in it for Raquel Gago?
I believe there's an emotional bond
between Raquel and Triana
that's hidden.
I think she wears people down.
Her mother wasn't the only one.
Raquel was corrupted.
I think she was used.
I don't know how much,
but enough to pick up the weapon
and destroy her life.
Without Triana, there'd be no m*rder.
She's selfish.
She didn't think of
her mother or friend.
What was the hardest part
of the trial?
Look, the ugliest thing,
the hardest thing were
the testimonies of...
of my parents and my friends and...
Raquel's friends and family.
And why, Triana?
Why was that the hardest part?
I guess because of how
I was feeling, as I said,
so uncomfortable...
Seeing them there,
testifying about what
you were like or how...
circumstances, people who love you,
who have supported you.
Being in that situation for me was...
It made me feel...
very sad.
FEBRUARY 20, 2016
There's other important news
this afternoon from Len.
The Isabel Carrasco m*rder trial
is in its final session.
Montserrat Gonzlez,
the confessed m*rder*r,
her daughter Triana,
and police officer Raquel Gago,
the three of them face a sentence
of 23 years in prison.
Mr. jury foreman,
please read the verdict.
The defendant, Ms. Montserrat Triana
Martnez Gonzlez,
had previously and jointly agreed
with her mother on a devised plan
to cause the death
of Ms. Isabel Carrasco Lorenzo,
which included a distribution
of roles between both defendants.
The defendant,
Ms. Raquel Gago Rodrguez,
knew of the homicidal intentions
of the other two defendants
and agreed to be part of
the plan devised by them
to k*ll Ms. Isabel Carrasco Lorenzo.
Therefore,
the jury finds Ms. Mara Montserrat
Ascensin Gonzlez Fernndez guilty.
Ms. Montserrat Triana
Martnez Gonzlez, guilty.
Ms. Raquel Gago Rodrguez, guilty.
22 years in prison
for Montserrat Gonzlez
for the m*rder of Isabel Carrasco.
20 years for her daughter, Triana.
Raquel Gago has just entered
the Mansilla prison in Len.
Today, she begins to serve
the Court's ruling
sentencing her to 14 years
in prison, accomplice to the m*rder
of the Len Provincial
Council president.
Justice was served,
although it's a tragedy
for four people.
This concludes one of
the most high-profile trials
that has taken place
in the province of Len.
What was it like for you to hear
that the jury didn't believe you,
that they did believe you were
part of the m*rder?
I'd rather leave this
because it's... Okay? Please.
Are you innocent, Triana?
Also... No... I'd rather not answer.
The court convicted the three women
of the m*rder of Isabel Carrasco,
but the verdict did not answer
one of the key questions
for all of us who have studied
and analyzed this case:
Who came up with the idea
for the m*rder?
Was it the overprotective mother
who had the homicidal idea
and dragged her daughter into it?
Or was Triana the origin of it
and the one who pushed her mother
to k*ll Isabel Carrasco?
Family socialization marks us all,
how we are raised in our childhood,
adolescence, and youth,
even how we are taught to face life
is something we all carry with us.
The first thing I remember
from when I was a little girl
is of me sitting at a table
in Ganda,
where my parents were living,
and dad brought a box of oranges.
I recall my parents and the oranges.
And me as a baby.
Specifically, the mother figure,
I believe, is a primary influence.
The truth is that Triana was,
I don't know, as I say, charming.
She talked to everyone.
It was incredible.
Well,
everyone who knows her knows that.
In Len, everyone wanted
to be with Triana.
The mother-daughter bond
of Montserrat and Triana
is not a strange relationship
in forensic medicine.
They're relationships
with significant
initial overprotection
from the mother toward the daughter.
Our way of life is family-oriented.
And progressively,
a curious mutation begins to occur
in that type of relationship.
The daughter begins to make decisions
and modify her mother's actions
for her own benefit.
Yes, it was the nuclear family
We were always with family.
Personally, I think they are
two characters,
two very strong and
very complementary personalities.
A mother who fully trusts her ability
to protect her daughter
and to carry out any action.
Whereas with the daughter,
we see the development
of manipulation, demands, pressure...
In that sense, I think it is
almost the perfect duo,
more than the perfect duo,
the duo creating the perfect storm
for a homicide like this
to have taken place.
No, I never argue with my mother.
She knows me inside and out.
She is my best friend.
It's that mother and daughter
are like a Cerberus,
a single, two-headed monster.
PRESENRAQUEL GAGO WILL NOT RETURN
TO PRISON
AND WILL SERVE
HER REMAINING TERM AT HOME
In early 2022,
Raquel Gago was moved to low security
for good behavior in prison.
But for Montserrat and Triana...
Their life in prison
has been very complicated.
RICARDO MAGAZ,
CRIMINOLOGIST, UNED
They went from Valladolid
to Asturias. Why, Diego?
Yes, Susana, we know the reason.
And again, it is due to conflict.
It's not the first transfer,
precisely,
for Montserrat
and her daughter Triana.
They took it badly.
Ever since they entered prison,
in their first unit,
a "respect" unit,
much more comfortable,
they began having problems
because they arrived
and started making demands.
They had a comfortable life
before the m*rder,
and it seems like
they expected to be in a VIP unit.
But when you have k*lled someone,
you are not in a VIP unit.
According to guards,
many disciplinary reports were filed
against them for disobedience.
In prison, of course,
they don't mess around.
In prison,
you must behave well to get benefits,
we behaved so well to get out sooner,
for everything.
That's why they were telling
so many lies,
that I never got one
of those reports.
I said, "I have no sanctions."
ISABEL CARRASCO'S K*llers,
TWO TROUBLEMAKERS BEHIND BARS
They said we were troublemakers.
That was never the case,
and it was only to tarnish our image
and to cause what's happening to us.
THEY LEFT A TRAIL OF BEING UNRULY,
PUGNACIOUS, AND ARROGANTHEY HAD 36 SANCTIONS
THEY HAVE CONFRONTED
AND INSULTED OFFICERS,
AND HAVE HAD FIGHTS
WITH OTHER INMATES
Consider that in prison,
the mother and daughter accumulated
more than 30 disciplinary reports.
I have been a lawyer
for almost the same number of years,
and I do not have a single client,
I'm talking about rapists, murderers,
serial K*llers, drug traffickers,
who has accumulated such a volume
of disciplinary reports.
We should have been out by now,
on leave and everything.
This is so... So...
I don't have the words...
I know people who have done worse
and were able to leave
after getting a first-degree
for k*lling someone on the courtyard.
OK, good, they've got their chance.
-It's been a long time.
-Yes.
But their sentence
isn't much shorter than mine.
And they've been there two years.
And they committed a crime in here.
I have enough merit reports
to plaster
a whole room.
But, I don't know...
Mother and daughter are convinced
that the world is against them,
they are paranoid.
I don't know how to describe it,
but it's like the law
is different for me.
-I mean.
-Yes. It's a different law, yes.
You're not special,
get your act together.
OK, you can't resuscitate
Isabel Carrasco,
but get it together
and serve your time.
Isabel will never leave the cemetery.
We have to keep that in mind.
The acts that transpired
have no solution.
But they can get out of prison.
With her daughter,
Isabel was especially...
She was a great mother.
And Loreto lost her nexus, her mother
her main way of life,
her biggest support.
Because with her personality,
Isabel was all-encompassing.
Once they serve their time,
we'll have to accept it.
But I don't think
Loreto will care about that.
Because she lost her mother,
she doesn't care about anything else.
Some of the things
I keep thinking about are...
being able to walk
in a straight line,
instead of going in circles.
Simple things like that,
like breathing fresh air
or not hearing people scream.
Seeing all the stuff you've missed.
Appreciating the little things,
looking at the sea, meeting people...
Revenge, taken to the extreme
of committing m*rder.
In this case ended not just one life.
It ended four lives.
Because Montserrat went to prison.
Because Triana's future is gone.
Because Raquel ruined her future.
At least we're together, because...
I don't know what we'd do otherwise.
But, no... We're still in the fight.
Ending someone's life
changes yours. It's not the solution.
Much less to an issue
like losing a job.
Confucius said: "when you choose
the path of revenge,
dig two graves."
All these years we've spent in prison
have led us to profound
and calm reflection
that we'd like to sum up
as the following aspects.
That violence should never be a way
of settling any kind of controversy.
That we reject any kind
of non-peaceful action,
through the means
provided to us by our society
and rule of law.
That as a consequence
of these things,
I'd like to extend my most deep,
sincere, and wholehearted apologies
for the actions that
sentenced us to prison.
As a result of this remorse,
civil liabilities were paid in full.
And today we continue
to make ourselves available
to those affected,
-for whatever they may need.
-Aware of the pain caused,
we express our absolute conviction
and promise
that our behavior
will never again cause harm
to third parties.
SHORTLY AFTER THE FILMING
OF THIS DOCUMENTARY,
TRIANA MARTNEZ WAS GRANTED
HER FIRST PRISON LEAVE.
HER MOTHER,
MONTSERRAT GONZLEZ,
HAS HAD HER REQUESTS DENIED
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Behind Bars - Shot in the Spotlight (2026)
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