An anaesthesiologist accused of murdering his beauty queen girlfriend has been detained ahead of his trial after restricted medicines were reportedly found at the scene.
Junior Jhonatan Rodríguez Arista, 35, is being held on remand for nine months on suspicion of femicide after nurse and former beauty queen Sharol Abigail Cortes Cruz, 24, was found dead at their home.
Prosecutors presented witness statements, CCTV footage, mobile phone records and forensic documents in support of their application for pre-trial detention.
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Sharol was found dead at the home she shared with Rodríguez in the town of Bagua Grande, Peru, on 4 October.
Rodríguez reportedly told the police he discovered his partner lifeless in their bedroom.
Her family rejected suggestions that she had taken her own life and called for her death to be investigated as a suspected murder.
Her sister Nathaly Cruz said: “I have come to demand justice for my little sister, who was brutally murdered.”
Cruz claimed Sharol had suffered physical abuse and said she noticed bruises, bite marks and episodes of unusual drowsiness in the months before her death.
She also raised concerns about a possible fentanyl overdose, alleging that Rodríguez’s work as an anaesthesiologist gave him access to restricted medicines.
Police reportedly found fentanyl, midazolam and propofol during an inspection of the bedroom where Sharol was found dead.
However, the initial post-mortem examination did not establish a definitive cause of death.
Further forensic tests are expected to help investigators establish what happened.
Friends have also alleged that Sharol confided in them about mistreatment by her partner, with one claiming she was assaulted on the day she died.
His lawyer plans to appeal the nine-month pre-trial detention order issued by a judge on 13 October.
The judge ordered the detention to run until 4 July 2027 while prosecutors continue gathering evidence, as reported by Need To Know.
Rodríguez has also reportedly faced previous complaints and police interventions relating to violence dating back to 2017, although these do not establish responsibility for Sharol’s death.
Sharol was a qualified nurse who won the Miss Carnaval Utcubamba 2024 beauty pageant.
The investigation into her death continues.
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