A Texas man’s tweet recounting his impromptu first date with a Colombian DJ has taken a dark turn as he now faces accusations of her murder. The tweet, posted in December as a response to a prompt about memorable first dates, featured John Poulos, 35, enjoying a vacation. “Invited a Colombian woman on vacation without meeting her first – now we’re getting married,” he wrote. Unfortunately, in January, Poulos was accused by Colombian prosecutors of killing the woman in the photo, Valentina Trespalacios, a 23-year-old rising DJ. Poulos was subsequently arrested in Panama after Trespalacios’ body was discovered in southwest Bogotá.
The Twitter community quickly took notice of Poulos’ tweet and added a community note to provide critical context to the post. “The user who posted this tweet is now charged with murdering the woman in question,” one user wrote. Trespalacios’ family revealed to Colombian news outlet Caracol that the couple had been together for about eight months and had plans to move in together in Bogotá. They also mentioned that Poulos displayed signs of jealousy and an unhealthy obsession with his fiancée. According to Trespalacios’ brother, Poulos had even gone to the extent of hiring a private investigator to monitor her activities at parties.
The Colombian attorney general’s office conducted a thorough investigation, reviewing over 300 hours of surveillance footage, photos, and witness testimonies leading up to Trespalacios’ untimely death. Surveillance footage obtained by international outlet Revista Semana revealed that the couple had arrived in Bogota on January 19 to settle into their apartment. Trespalacios was last seen on video entering and leaving the apartment on January 21. On that night, a rideshare driver received a distressing message from Trespalacios, indicating that she was in danger. Poulos intercepted the message and dismissed it as a mistake when questioned by the driver. Video footage further revealed Poulos moving what appeared to be Trespalacios’ lifeless body inside a suitcase covered with a gray blanket on the morning of January 22. He then transferred the suitcase to a shopping cart and loaded it into a silver vehicle.
After Trespalacios’ lifeless body was discovered later that day, an international manhunt for Poulos ensued. He was apprehended at a Panamanian airport on January 24 while attempting to board a flight to Istanbul, Turkey, according to Panama’s National Police. Poulos was charged with aggravated femicide and concealment of evidence in Trespalacios’ death by the Colombian attorney general’s office. They asserted that Poulos had engaged in a cycle of psychological violence, exerting control over his partner’s actions by monitoring her social networks and even employing a private investigator. Authorities believe Poulos beat and strangled Trespalacios in a fit of jealousy. The criminal proceedings are ongoing, and a judge denied Poulos’ attorneys’ motion to dismiss the case on procedural grounds. Hearings are scheduled for later this month.
Poulos’ ex-wife, Ashley Poulos, provided a statement to Wisconsin news outlet CBS 58, revealing the abusive nature of their marriage and expressing her sorrow for the Trespalacios family. Ashley stated that she filed for divorce in 2021 due to the abusive relationship and mentioned that John had transferred their entire marital estate to an offshore trust before the divorce. She disclosed that John had abandoned their three children, with the oldest having battled cancer at the age of 4, and had not seen them in person since leaving Wisconsin in January 2021.
If you or someone you know is experiencing dating abuse, please reach out to the National Dating Abuse Helpline at 1-866-331-9474 or text “loveis” to 22522 for assistance.
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