Leal created his own hairdressing salon in Bogotá and turned it into the favorite place of the Colombian national show business.
On the morning of November 22, 2021, Colombian authorities found the bodies of renowned stylist Mauricio Leal and his mother, Marleny Hernández, in the home they both shared in the municipality of La Calera, near Bogotá.
And although the bodies had stab wounds, a letter in which the stylist allegedly apologized and said “I can’t take it anymore” made the first hypotheses of the case those of a suicide.
Upon learning of his death, different entertainment stars in the country, including television presenter Andrea Serna and former beauty queen Carolina Cruz, used their social networks to express feelings of pain and sorrow.
But the revelations that were made during the following weeks were revealing a murky truth that today has shocked the country.
This Tuesday, Yhonier Leal, the stylist’s brother, admitted having murdered his own mother and brother and signed a collaboration agreement with the investigators.
At BBC Mundo we explain the details that are known up to the moment of the case.
Who was Mauricio Leal?
According to Colombian media, Leal was known as the “child genius” in his field.
She was born in the city of Cali and said that she had started her career in the world of beauty in a hairdressing salon, sweeping floors and serving coffee.
Years after those humble beginnings, Leal created her own hair salon in Bogotá and turned it into the favorite place for television presenters, models, actresses and singers of the Colombian national show business.
After his death, the Colombian attorney general, Francisco Barbosa, announced that his entity had raided several of the stylist’s properties, including the famous beauty salon that bore his name, for an alleged case of money laundering.
“As part of the development of the extinctive procedure, it was possible to establish that the owner of the assets already referred to (Mauricio Leal), presents capital increases to justify derivatives, allegedly, of money laundering”, commented the prosecution.
Who is Yhonier Leal, the alleged murderer?
Yhonier Leal, 49, was the oldest of the Leal brothers.
According to information collected by the prosecution and revealed by Colombian media, Yhonier Leal was a stylist like his brother.
However, his fate was different from that of Mauricio.
According to the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo, in 2019 Yhonier had tried to create his own hairdressing salon, losing it less than a year later due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
In addition, it was also known that Yhonier had gone to live with Mauricio and his mother in the municipality of La Calera after facing a divorce process.
The capture
According to the prosecutor’s office in a statement, members of the Technical Investigation Corps (CTI) captured Yhonier on January 14 “for his alleged participation in the murder of the stylist Mauricio Leal Hernández and his mother Marleny Hernández Tabares.”
“Through various investigative activities, the collection of material evidence and physical evidence, related to the investigation, it was established that Yhonier Rodolfo Leal Hernández, son and brother of the victims, could be responsible for the death of the stylist and of his mother”, assured the investigative entity.
But the critical moment came on Tuesday, January 18, when Yhonier accepted the charges against him in a public hearing.
“I have made a super important and very personal decision: freely and voluntarily to accept the charges through an agreement with the prosecution,” Yhonier told the judge.
And he added: “I take the opportunity to express my repentance, asking forgiveness first of all from my family and my children, the victims and all of Colombia for the events that occurred. And to commit myself that a situation of such magnitude will never happen again.
The scope of the agreement that Yhonier Leal signed with the prosecution is not yet known and new hearings are expected to define what the sentence that the man will have to pay will be.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, Jhonier Leal murdered his relatives for economic reasons and manipulated the crime scene to make it look like a suicide.
However, the authorities said that he left a series of evidence that ended up incriminating him.
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
