Daughter arrested for double murder of Aragon farm union leader and wife in Tauste

The crime

Javier Sánchez Ansó, born in 1959, and his wife Esther Latorre, born in 1960, were found dead with stab wounds on the evening of Saturday, 8 August 2026, in their home on Ronda Val de Volví in Tauste, a town of about 6,800 inhabitants in Zaragoza province. The bodies were discovered around 21:00 by Esther's sister and brother-in-law, who raised the alarm. The couple were found in different rooms of the single-family house. Autopsy results confirmed they had been killed the previous Friday.

The last known activity from Javier was a Facebook video posted at 1:12 AM on Saturday, about Colombian president Gustavo Petro. The couple had gone out for dinner at a bar in Tauste on Friday evening and stayed past midnight. Their car was later found parked at the entrance of the house. Investigators found no signs of forced entry on doors or windows, ruling out robbery as a motive. Gender violence and shared suicide were also discarded.

The arrests

On Monday, 10 August, the Guardia Civil detained one of the couple's two daughters, Carlota, and her partner, Luis Carlos R., a man of Colombian origin, as suspected authors of the double homicide. The arrests took place in Zaragoza capital after two days of investigation. The suspects remain in police custody and are expected to be brought before the Tribunal de Instancia de Ejea de los Caballeros. The other daughter, Olga, had been returning from Scotland the day after the murders.

Authorities are focusing on reconstructing the sequence of events through a detailed ocular inspection of the house. The Guardia Civil has not disclosed a possible motive. Lawyer Beatriz de Vicente noted the violence appeared "expressive," with numerous stab wounds suggesting hatred and animosity, and questioned why a daughter would kill her parents in such a violent manner. The suspects have a 72-hour deadline to gather information, form an initial report, and be presented to judicial authorities.

The victims' legacy

Javier Sánchez was a prominent figure in Aragon's agricultural union movement. He joined the Unión de Agricultores y Ganaderos de Aragón (UAGA) in 1983 and served as its secretary general from 1999 to 2010. At the time of his death, he remained linked to the organization as its representative in the Cinco Villas region and presided over the Cámara Agraria de Zaragoza. Esther Latorre was also a UAGA member and farmer, carrying out much of her union work in the organization's Women's Area.

Community mourning

More than 1,000 people gathered on Monday at Tauste's Casa de la Cultura for a civil tribute to the couple. The ceremony included speeches from José María Alcubierre, current UAGA secretary general, who defined Javier and Esther as "fighters." IU Aragón coordinator Marta Abengochea expressed "profound pain" over the loss. COAG secretary general Andrés Góngora also spoke. The tribute concluded with José Antonio Labordeta's song "Somos" and a symbolic act in which UAGA representatives brought soil from each comarca of Aragón.

Alcubierre told Efe news agency that the loss represents "a very hard moment" for the organization, Tauste, and Aragon.

“Javier and Esther were two people who fought from their spheres, with their responsibilities, from the local to the global.”

He also recalled their work in Tauste and on agricultural policies, particularly those related to "conflictive works" linked to the water pact. The investigation remains open as agents continue collecting evidence at the scene.