Man arrested in Barcelona for murder Mercer Island student
Feb 13, 2012, 2:36 PM | Updated: 3:50 pm
Police in Spain have made an arrest for the murder of Mercer Island native Crispin Scott.
Scott, a 20-year-old Dartmouth College student was found dead in an apartment in the Esplugues de Llobregat suburb of Barcelona on Jan. 7.
Until recently, Scott’s death had been considered an accident. Charles Grant, director of Scott’s study-abroad program told The Dartmouth that according to police, “There did not appear to have been any physical violence and he appeared to have died in his sleep.”
The Dartmouth reports early autopsy results suggested Scott had died of an accidental overdose. The suspicious amount of barbiturates in his system lead officials to suspect foul play.
Catalan regional police arrested a 41-year-old Ecuadorian man on Wednesday for the fatal drugging of Scott. The detainee, whose name has not been released, appeared in court on Friday. He is the landlord of the apartment building in which police found Scott’s body and has a criminal history. When police searched the suspect’s Barcelona home officers found dozens of photographs of naked young people, whom the police suspect the accused drugged with tranquilizers.
In 2009 the suspect was accused of drugging and sexually assaulting a young man.
Scott’s parents, Norm and Pat Scott, told The Dartmouth that they trust the Spanish justice system to “handle this case carefully,” but that no outcome will bring their son back.
By MyNorthwest.com intern, Loren Bayles
