The alleged killer of Spanish golfer Celia Barquin Arozamena, whose lifeless body was found Sept. 17 in a pond at a golf course in Ames, Iwoa, has pleaded not guilty at a court appearance yesterday to confirm certain information about the case. The trial against Collin Richards, 22, the same age as the victim, is scheduled for Jan. 15. The defendant will face a possible life sentence without the possibility of parole if convicted.
Search warrants have revealed more details about the golfer’s violent death. Immediately after the murder, Richards had allegedly showered at the home of Christopher Johnston, whose house is nearby. Johnston told police that Richards had arrived covered in blood. He bathed, but refused Johnston’s offer to wash his clothes before leaving with bloody clothes in a backpack.
Several days later, on September 20, officers were called to the scene when a fire broke out in the garage of Johnston’s home. There, investigators recovered two kitchen knives that may be related to the murder.There, investigators recovered two kitchen knives that could be linked to the murder, in addition to one found at a campground where Richards was believed to be staying.found at a campground where Richards was believed to be staying.
Details have now emerged of how the fatal attack on the young Spanish woman took place. The police report says that evidence from the crime scene indicated that the victim suffered three cuts to the center of the chest, another to the back of the head, another between the shoulder blades and another to the left calf.
The autopsy found that the cuts had two different serration marks. According to the report, these wounds could have come from a knife with a blade of ten centimeters or more, a description that matches one of the knives found by the police.
On the day of the murder, Richards had a fresh cut on his hand that he tried to conceal from officers.
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