Judge orders minor to serve six years for Deportivo soccer fan’s death

A Madrid court has ordered a minor to spend six years at a juvenile facility after he was found guilty of homicide in connection with the November 30, 2014 death of a Galician soccer fan who was thrown into the Manzanares River in Madrid.

The convicted minor, identified in court papers as A.C.G, will also be placed on two years’ supervised probation when he completes his term.

The Depor fan clung on in the freezing water for nearly half-an-hour before emergency services plucked him out

Francisco Javier Romero Taboada, known as “Jimmy,” was beaten and thrown into the river during a brawl between rival hooligan gangs outside Atlético Madrid’s Vicente Calderón stadium in Madrid.

The 43-year-old Deportivo de La Coruña fan clung on to life inside the freezing water for nearly half-an-hour before the emergency services plucked him out. By then he had gone into cardiac arrest.

In the ruling handed down on February 10, the court found the juvenile guilty of homicide, rioting and illegal possession of a weapon. Prosecutors had asked for an 11-year term.

The judge also sentenced another juvenile, I. D. C., to one year of supervised probation after finding him guilty of rioting and illegal possession of a weapon.

The ruling also states that A. C. G. wasn’t the only participant in the beating of Romero Taboada

A third minor, J. P. C. N., was ordered to perform 60 hours of community service or spend five weekends at a juvenile facility after he was convicted of a rioting charge.

The ruling also states that A. C. G. wasn’t the only participant in the beating of Romero Taboada. A. C. G. was “helped by three young adults,” according to Cadena Ser radio network.

This ruling could be relevant for the upcoming trial of other co-defendants who were over the age of 18 when the incident took place.

English version by Martin Delfín.