Francisco Segura, director of the Judicial Police, said that data collected at the scene and the victim’s lack of a criminal background suggest another motive. Hergis who was 64 years old did not have a criminal record in the United States, and had been coming and going from Costa Rica since 2007. The attackers also did not take $1,900 in cash from the scene of the murder.
The article in La Nacion also qualified the woman traveling with Hergis when he was attacked as his wife. The attackers were also said to have been wearing ski masks.