International networks such as CBS and CNN tracked the death of American John Bender and the possible involvement of his wife, Ann Patton, in the incident.
On Tuesday, on the verge of a fourth trial against the woman, the spotlights are once again hovering over one of the most famous cases in recent years.
Bender was found dead in his house, located in Barú de Pérez Zeledón, with a bullet in the head, on January 8th, 2010.
A long sequel of legal episodes began since then.
The Public Prosecutor maintains that Patton killed her husband. However, the defense argues Patton is innocent and that it might have been a suicide case.
With doubts in the investigation, the collection of samples and the little clarity in the versions of witnesses, Patton already faced three trials. She was absolved in two and only one conviction was reached, but the sentence that was later annulled. Now, Costa Rican authorities want a fourth chance.
The couple arrived in southern Costa Rica early in the last decade after amassing a fortune after a successful career on Wall Street.
They built a luxurious house in a mountainous area and started a kind of wildlife sanctuary project. But, happiness gradually transformed and John got depressed, according to Patton.
Several investigators insisted that the foreigners had problems with locals (they were kidnapped and robbed) and that there were serious mistakes in the handling of the scene by the judicial police, whose assumption was always that John was killed.
Faced with the fourth trial, Patton’s attorney Felicio Oconitrillo was clear in calling the matter a mockery.