Kung fu murder suspect is confused and suffering from brain tumor, police say

Juan Carlos Aguilar, the kung fu martial artist arrested Monday in Bilbao on suspicion of murder, has confessed that he intended to kill a 29-year-old Nigerian woman whom he allegedly beat up on Sunday and left in a coma, police sources said Tuesday.

At the same time, the Basque regional Ertzaintza police force found human remains, including a vertebrae and lower body parts, at the 47-year-old Shaolin master’s home. DNA tests determined that the remains belonged to a woman.

“The investigation continues,” a Basque police spokesman said Tuesday.

Police sources said that Aguilar “is very confused” and has told investigators that “he thinks” that he may have killed a woman on May 31. Ertzainta officers confirmed that the suspect has been undergoing treatment in Navarre for a brain tumor over the past two years.

Authorities continued to search the Ría de Bilbao river and the suspect’s properties, including his Zen4 gym, for more evidence in the case.

Aguilar was arrested on Sunday night after police were called to the gym when neighbors reported hearing a woman screaming. Police said that Ada, a 29-year-old Nigerian prostitute, was found tied up by her neck, hands and legs. One neighbor said he saw the woman being forced into the gym by the suspect. “She is a good girl, who never looked for any problems,” said Edos Osahon, a member of the Nigerian community in Bilbao. Osahon said that Ada shared an apartment with other women located about 300 meters from Aguilar’s home.

Police had to break down the door to enter the gym.

Meanwhile, a group of citizens, including Nigerian nationals, held a demonstration in support of Ada and against gender violence in Bilbao on Tuesday.