Suvechha Sarkar
In December 1998, 28-year-old Aitor Zabaleta Cortaza/Aitor Zabaleta Cortázar was excited to support his favorite football team during their match in Madrid, Spain. However, the day ended in an unimaginable tragedy when he was stabbed even before the match began. Although he was rushed to the nearest hospital, he sadly succumbed to his injuries. The episode titled ‘The Boy With the Hat’ of HBO Max’s ‘Ultras: Passion and Death’ explores the brutal homicide, raising conversations surrounding football violence in Spain. Furthermore, the episode features in-depth interviews with Aitor’s acquaintances and the investigators who helped solve the crime.
Aitor Zabaleta Cortaza Passed Away in the Hospital From a Stab Wound
Javier Zabaleta and his wife’s lives were filled with immeasurable joy when they welcomed their son, Aitor Zabaleta Cortaza, into the world in 1970. He grew up in a lively household in San Sebastián, Spain, laughing and playing with his brother and two sisters. He was known among his loved ones for his sense of humor. He was also quite passionate about soccer and a dedicated fan of Real Sociedad. After completing his formal education, Aitor began his professional journey as an employee at his family’s grill restaurant. In adulthood, he found the love of his life when he met Verónica.
Together, Aitor and Verónica enjoyed cheering for their favorite football team at the stadiums. On December 8, 1998, the pair and several other Real Sociedad fans headed for Madrid as usual to watch that day’s match between Atlético de Madrid and Real Sociedad. Reports state that after arriving there in the afternoon, the 28-year-old and his group decided to rest in a bar near the Vicente Calderón Stadium before the match began in the evening. Everything appeared to be going well until Aitor’s life turned upside down when he and his group were suddenly assaulted by another group of fans.
Official records state that Aitor tried to protect his girlfriend, but he was brutally stabbed. The bar staff and other people present at the scene promptly alerted the officials, and Aitor was rushed to the hospital. There, he underwent an emergency surgery, but unfortunately, he passed away in the ICU just before 3:00 am on December 9. As per reports, doctors mentioned that he had lost too much blood by the time he underwent surgery. The autopsy report revealed that he was stabbed on the left side of his chest, which grazed his left ventricle. Additionally, the wound severed one of the branches of his aorta, leading to his death.
The Killer Was Arrested Based on Witness Statements and Physical Evidence
After the stabbing, law enforcement officials who were present nearby rushed to the crime scene to speak with witnesses. According to court records, witnesses informed the authorities that a group of Atlético Madrid fans, who belonged to the Bastión 1903 group (football-extremist section), were the attackers. Verónica reportedly also informed the detectives that the attackers were from the Bastión 1903 group. Officials quickly took several of the members from the group into custody, three of whom reportedly identified their fellow group member, 23-year-old Ricardo Guerra, as the person behind the stabbing. Reports state that they soon learned he had a criminal history.
As detectives dug deeper, they discovered that when Aitor was stabbed, Ricardo was reportedly serving an open prison sentence in connection with an earlier stabbing case. On December 15, 1998, he was finally arrested and charged with murder. In the meantime, law enforcement searched his bedroom at his parents’ house. According to reports, they uncovered four knives between the mattress and the bed frame. Several other witnesses also accused him of having “neo-nazi” beliefs. Further reports state that when his father was questioned, he claimed that Ricardo was at the family business when the murder took place, but the authorities believed that there were several pieces of evidence pointing otherwise.
Ricardo Guerra Cuadrado Currently Appears to Be Leading a Quiet Life
The jury trial of Ricardo reportedly began on March 1, 2000. During the trial, the prosecution argued that he had deliberately stabbed Aitor. They further claimed that it was a coordinated attack since other members of his group had assaulted Aitor’s fan group before he was stabbed. The prosecution also presented several witnesses who testified to seeing Ricardo attacking the 28-year-old. On the other hand, the defense denied that Ricardo killed Aitor. Court records state that the defendant also denied participating in the stabbing.
The defense emphasized that there was a lack of any conclusive evidence tying Ricardo to the crime scene or the fact that he inflicted the fatal wound. On March 31, 2000, the jury found Ricardo guilty of Aitor’s murder. Following that, his defense team reportedly revealed that they planned to appeal the conviction on the grounds that there was insufficient evidentiary support. In April 2000, he was finally sentenced to a 17-year prison term. Furthermore, the court ordered him to pay $58,000 to Verónica and $117,000 to Aitor’s parents.
Reports state that the court further ordered the officials to investigate if Ricardo’s friends, Iván Martín Ron, Ignacio Racionero, and Israel Gonzalo Canabal, had participated in the killing. Although the defendant later appealed his conviction and sentencing, the High Court of Justice of Madrid upheld his judgment in November 2000. It was further reaffirmed by the Supreme Court in 2001. According to official records, he was already out of prison on day release in 2012. Ricardo was reportedly arrested on December 11, 2018, for an unrelated football match-linked incident, but no public reports indicate that he was convicted in connection with that incident. As of writing, Ricardo is likely maintaining a low profile away from the public eye.
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