A number of articles in La Nacion reported the recapture of "triple murderer" (triple homicida) Alexander Vargas Rojas, and his subsequent attempts to escape from prison (La Nacion 9 Mar. 2002; ibid. 27 Apr. 2002; ibid. 3 Sept. 2002).

In an article of 9 March 2002, La Nacion stated that Alexander Vargas Rojas, also known as Repollo, had been sentenced to 173 years in prison for the triple murder of married couple Carlos Alberto Vargas and Marjorie Quiros, and their one and a half year-old son Carlos Jose. After escaping from La Reforma Penitentiary Centre in San Rafael de Alajuela on 18 August 2001 and was recaptured 202 days later on 8 March 2002 in La Puebla de Heredia (La Nacion 9 Mar. 2002). The article also mentioned that the triple murder took place on 22 November 1995 in Llorente de Tibas and that Vargas' partner in crime was Olman Salas Villegas (ibid.).

La Nacion of 27 April 2002 reported that Alexander Vargas Rojas had been taken to the hospital for the second time in 10 days for overdosing on various types of prescription medication. In the first incident on 15 April 2002, Vargas consumed 60 anti-depressant pills and was subsequently taken to the hospital in Alajuela (La Nacion 27 Apr. 2002). In the second incident, Vargas consumed 20 different pills such as tranquillizers and painkillers and was found semi-conscious in his cell at La Reforma prison and immediately transported to the Alajuela hospital (ibid.). The Director of Social Adaptation at the prison, Luis Bernardo Arguedas, stated that Vargas suffered from a severe depression; however, an anonymous source criticized this opinion, stating that Vargas was using the depression as a "strategy of manipulation" (estrategia de manipulacion) (ibid.).

A La Nacion article of 3 September 2002 reported Vargas' unsuccessful attempt to escape from the La Reforma prison by disguising himself in clothing similar to that of the institution's guards. Following the incident, Vargas was placed in a maximum-security cell, and the Social Adaptation Directorate (Direccion de Adaptacion Social), the institution that manages all the prisons in the country, ordered an investigation into the attempted escape (La Nacion 3 Sept. 2002).

No further information about Alexander Vargas Rojas or Olman Salas could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

La Nacion [San Jose]. 3 September 2002. Carlos Arguedas C. "Indagaran intento de fuga de reo." http://www.nacion.co.cr/ln_ee/2002/septiembre/03/pais13.html [Accessed 29 May 2003]

_____. 27 April 2002. Carlos Arguedas C. and Jairo Villegas. "Alexander Vargas: Triple homicida con depresion." http://www.nacion.co.cr/ln_ee/2002/abril/27/pais12.html [Accessed 29 May 2003]

_____. 9 March 2002. Adrian Meza and Carlos Arguedas. "Permanecio en fuga 202 dias: Policia atrapa a triple homicida." http://www.nacion.co.cr/ln_ee/2002/marzo/09/pais12.html [Accessed 29 May 2003]

Additional Sources Consulted

IRB databases

World News Connection (WNC)

Internet sites:

AM Costa Rica [San Jose]

Tico Times [San Jose]

Search engine:

Google