Vicuña: Venezuelan national detained for killing American teacher

A 27-year-old Venezuelan national, César Rodríguez, has been placed in preventive detention following the fatal stabbing of Anne Alexander Gray in Vicuña, Chile. Gray, a 47-year-old American English teacher and beekeeper, had lived in the Elqui Valley for approximately one year.

The attack occurred on a Monday morning in the Diaguitas sector after Gray had dropped her son off at school. Witnesses report that Gray may have even greeted the assailant before he attacked her with a butcher knife, inflicting 12 wounds to her chest, back, and scalp. Following the assault, the suspect fled on a bicycle toward the river area.

Rodríguez was apprehended by Carabineros after a taxi driver witnessed the emergency and tracked the suspect until police arrived. During the formalization hearing, reports indicated that the suspect attempted to justify his actions by claiming divine orders. The suspect is reportedly in an irregular migratory status.