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| The father who tracked down his 'aspiring diplomat' daughter's fugitive killer after 26 years |
In his apartment in the Colombian city of Barranquilla, MartÃn Mestre awaits what could be the end of his nearly three-decade journey of pain.
Almost a year ago, he filed a final appeal against a decision by Brazil's Supreme Court, which refused to extradite his daughter Nancy's killer to Colombia.
Mestre has spent most of his life tracking down the whereabouts of his daughter's killer, Jamie Sade. His daughter was murdered in 1994 and the murderer, Jamie, was sentenced to 27 years in prison in 1996. But her daughter's killer was never caught because he fled Colombia before being sentenced.
It took the father nearly three decades to track down his daughter's fugitive killer and was finally arrested by Interpol in Belo Horizonte, Brazil in 2020.
The killer of Martin Mestre's daughter had changed his name in Brazil and was living a normal and comfortable life. He was also married to a Brazilian woman and had two children.
A few months after his arrest, Brazil's Supreme Federal Court refused to extradite Jamie Sade, but Martin Mestre now has new hope as the court will review its decision on March 29.
In an interview with BBC Brazil, Martin Mestre said, "I believe that justice will be done." It is a little late but there is still time.
"It was dark and I didn't realize I was dying in my daughter's blood."
Martin Mestre's daughter Nancy wanted to become a diplomat and moved from Colombia to the United States for higher education.
Martin used to tell his daughter jokingly that he would never let her go, but in reality, he admired his daughter's ambition and was ready to help her achieve her dream in every possible way.
"She was a happy girl, she studied a lot," says Martin. She always read. She wanted to study international law and diplomacy. But on the morning of January 1, 1994, all the dreams of the 18-year-old girl were dashed.
Nancy, her father, mother, and brother celebrated the New Year at home. Shortly after midnight, Martin Mestre said goodbye to his daughter as Nancy wanted to celebrate the rest of the New Year with her boyfriend Jamie Sade.
Martin Mestre told his daughter to be back home before three in the morning while telling Jamie to 'take care of my daughter.'
When Mestre's eyes opened at six in the morning, according to him, he felt something strange. He says I kept looking for Nancy around the house. His room was also empty.
They also looked for their daughter and her boyfriend in nightclubs but did not find them. Eventually, Martin decides to go to Jamie's parents' house. There he saw Jamie's mother sweeping the floor.
"It was dark and I didn't realize at that time that I was dying in my own daughter's blood," he recalls.
"Your daughter has had an accident and is in the hospital," Jamie's mother told him.
When Mestre arrived at the hospital, he was met by Jamie's father, who told him, "Your daughter tried to commit suicide and is in the operating room."
Nancy was taken to the hospital by Jamie's father. They wrapped the naked Nancy in a sheet and put her in a pick-up truck.
"I slowly began to wonder what might have happened," Martin recalls. They raped my daughter and threw her behind the truck.
I said, 'My God, what have they done to my daughter?'
Nancy spent eight days in a coma in the hospital and never regained consciousness.
Nancy tried hard to defend herself
While Nancy's parents worried about their daughter's recovery in the hospital, the police investigated what happened to Nancy on January 1st, but during that phase of the investigation, Jamie Sade fled Colombia.
Police ruled out the possibility of suicide. Nancy died of a gunshot wound to the head, with gunpowder particles found in her left hand, which Colombian officials say indicated Nancy tried to defend herself.
The investigation also concluded that Nancy was raped. He had bruises all over his body and his broken fingernails had bits of skin. This was another sign that Nancy tried hard to defend herself.
In 1996, two years after Nancy's death, a Colombian court sentenced Jamie Sade to 27 years in prison for murder and rape in her absence.
After Nancy's rape and shooting in the head, according to the verdict, Jamie may have turned to her father for help in desperation. They wrapped Nancy's naked body in a sheet and took it to the hospital. Jamie's father stayed at the clinic while his son went into hiding.
From that moment on, Nancy's father, Martin Mestre, became the purpose of his life, the search for Jamie. A search that lasted for 26 years.
"I knew it might take a while but I always knew I would find my daughter's killer," says Martin.
Give all details to Colombian police and Interpol
Since Jamie Sade's conviction, Martin has sought answers from authorities and Interpol regarding the investigationContacted and provided them with the information, they had personally collected.
Nancy's death changed the family's destiny forever. Martin Mestre and his wife separated while their son left the country for America and Martin Mestre focused all his time and energy on finding his daughter's killer.
He enrolled in intelligence service courses and recaptured the knowledge he had learned to use in his investigations as a naval officer.
"I created four fictional characters, two men and two women," explains Martin. I started contacting Jamie's relatives on social networks to gain their trust and get information that could lead me to him.'
Martin gave all those details to the Colombian police and Interpol. During the 26-year search, various authorities worked on the case.
"Whenever the charging case changed, I would go there with all the documents to update the person on everything," explains Martin.
Through his investigation, Martin finally came to the conclusion that Jamie could be in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Thanks to this information, the Brazilian police and Interpol identified a man whose profile was similar to Jamie Sade's.
When he got the information about the arrest, he knelt down and thanked God.
Officers chased the suspect to a coffee shop and lifted the cup he had been drinking from to use fingerprints to identify Nancy's killer.
When the police contacted Jamie, he produced false documents and said his name was Henrique dos Santos Abdala. Federal police arrested Jamie and an investigation began in Brazil for false identity.
Soon after, the Colombian government submitted an extradition request so Jamie could serve his 27-year sentence in Colombia.
"When the director of Interpol called to inform me of the arrest, I fell on my knees and thanked God," Martin recalls. My God... After almost 27 years, justice will be done.
"I called my son from America and Nancy's mother, who now lives in Spain, and we all started crying."
Martin Mestre thought that in a few months, Jamie would have to come to Colombia to serve his 27-year prison sentence, but something happened, that he did not expect.
On September 28, 2020, Martin Mestre received a call from a lawyer. Brazil's Supreme Federal Court decided not to extradite Jamie to Colombia.
The Colombian government did not appeal against the decision of Brazil's Supreme Federal Court, but Martin Mestre did not give up and made another attempt through an international organization.
Martin Mestre filed a petition challenging the decision in a Brazilian court. Now on March 29, the court will reconsider its decision, after which the extradition of Nancy Mestre's killer to Colombia may be approved.