A husband is accused of killing three family members one year after trying to poison them with ice cream.
Jorge Ugalde Parraguez allegedly killed his brother-in-law and two nephews in their home due to an ongoing row over money.
The 59-year-old allegedly stabbed Eduardo Cruz-Coke to death and asphyxiated his twin sons, both 17 and with disabilities.
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The three victims were found dead in their home in La Reina in the Chilean capital Santiago on 18 October.
Jorge, who lives in the same property with his wife, was the one who reported their deaths to the police.
Investigators initially suspected that Eduardo, 62, had killed his sons before taking his own life with a blade.
But the knife was never found, and the victim’s wounds did not appear to be inflicted by himself, as reported by Need To Know.
A police spokesperson said: “After the first two days, it was clear to us that the victim’s wounds were not self-inflicted, but rather the work of a third party.
“That’s what opened up our main line of investigation into a triple homicide.”
The authorities are also investigating what “substances may have been administered to the minors that prevented them from resisting the mechanical action of a third party that caused their asphyxiation and death”.
Their mother, a psychologist, was travelling in Argentina at the time of the alleged triple homicide.
Jorge was arrested by the police on Monday (3 Nov).
His wife, Trinidad Cruz-Coke, Eduardo’s sister, is also a suspect in the investigation.
The couple had allegedly tried to kill the victims in 2024.
Eduardo was hospitalised after eating ice cream brought for him and his children by the suspects, according to local media.
The alleged poisoning attempt was never reported to the authorities at the time, but will be included as part of the ongoing investigation.
The authorities are also trying to establish whether anyone else was involved in the suspected murders.
Jorge is being held in custody on a charge of triple aggravated homicide as the police probe continues.
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