Husband of American woman reported missing in Spain pleads not guilty to kidnapping charge

Carlos Suarez, Denise Royal and Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN

(CNN) — Federal investigators impeach a southbound Florida man of traversing 2 continents, stealing licence plates and obscuring a information camera to kidnap his estranged woman astatine her flat successful Spain earlier this year. But nan man and his erstwhile lawyer opportunity he has ne'er stepped ft successful Spain and person insisted he is innocent.

David Knezevich, 36, was arraigned and pleaded not blameworthy connected Monday to a kidnapping complaint successful national tribunal successful Miami – 4 months aft his woman was past seen successful Madrid, according to tribunal records.

His wife, Ana Maria Knezevich Henao, has not been heard from since February 2, nan time a man wearing a look covering and helmet – who prosecutors allege was Knezevich – entered her flat building successful Madrid and spray-painted nan lens of a building surveillance camera. About an hr later, nan man emerged from an elevator pinch a suitcase, according to nan criminal complaint.

Before Knezevich’s apprehension successful Florida successful May, his lawyer astatine nan time, Kenneth Padowitz, told CNN that his customer “has ne'er been to Spain” and had thing to do pinch nan incident.

But investigators allege Knezevich has been tied to nan crime utilizing nan tin of spray paint, information camera footage, stolen licence plates and rental car records, arsenic good arsenic messages he sent to a female he’d met connected a making love app.

If convicted, nan hubby faces a maximum condemnation of life successful prison.

How FBI investigators built their case

Knezevich’s existent attorney, Jayne C. Weintraub, revenge a petition connected Monday to nan tribunal for a proceeding connected nan court’s bid of detention, asking to cross-examine an FBI supplier regarding caller grounds and allegations successful nan lawsuit since a detention proceeding past month.

The mates had lived successful Florida and were readying to divorce, but nan separation had go tense because Knezevich didn’t want to evenly divided their assets, nan criminal title said. Padowitz, however, told CNN successful February that nan divided was amicable.

Henao had moved to Spain successful December and had been surviving successful an flat successful an flat successful Madrid’s upscale Salamanca neighborhood, tribunal documents said.

When Henao vanished from her flat successful February, Knezevich was acold distant successful his autochthonal Serbia, Knezevich’s erstwhile lawyer Padowitz has said. But national officials said records show Knezevich flew from Miami to Turkey successful January and past went to Belgrade, Serbia, wherever he rented a mini car connected January 29.

The proprietor of nan rental car agency told investigators that erstwhile nan car was returned successful mid-March, personification had tinted its windows and added a caller licence sheet frame, and it had traveled astir 4,800 miles, nan criminal title said.

Toll booth cameras captured images of nan aforesaid exemplary Peugeot, pinch tinted windows, adjacent Madrid successful nan precocious nighttime and early greeting of February 2 and 3. It had licence plates stolen from different conveyance connected nan Madrid thoroughfare wherever Henao was living, nan title said.

Shortly aft 9 p.m. nan nighttime of Henao’s disappearance, a man wearing a look covering and helmet but pinch “physical characteristics” resembling Knezevich entered her flat building and partially obscured nan surveillance camera pinch spray paint, investigators said.

Spanish investigators identified nan marque of spray overgarment and wished that a Madrid retailer had sold nan aforesaid paint, on pinch 2 rolls of duct tape, to a man who resembled Knezevich nan aforesaid time Henao was past seen, nan criminal title said.

Henao, a US national primitively from Colombia, was successful changeless connection pinch her loved ones while overseas. She was readying a travel to Barcelona pinch her friends connected February 5, her relative told CNN, but she abruptly stopped communicating and ne'er showed up for nan trip.

Two days earlier nan trip, her friend Sanna Rameau received a puzzling WhatsApp connection from Henao indicating she was abruptly leaving municipality pinch a man she had conscionable met.

The message, seen by CNN, read: “I met personification wonderful!! He has a summertime location astir 2h (hours) from Madrid. We are going location now and I will walk a fewer days there. Signal is spotty. I’ll telephone you erstwhile I get back.”

Henao and Rameau had spoken by telephone conscionable hours earlier her disappearance but she had not mentioned gathering a dreamy stranger, Rameau told CNN.

Investigators allege nan texts sent from Henao’s telephone were really sent by her husband. He is believed to person asked different Colombian female whom he had met connected a making love app to thief construe nan messages into Colombian, tribunal documents said.

The connection he sent to nan unidentified Colombian female to construe was nan aforesaid 1 sent from Henao’s telephone saying she’d met a caller guy, tribunal documents said.