As a Canadian woman continues to recover in hospital following a brutal attack in Mexico, more information is coming to light about her alleged attacker.
Jose Ramon Acosta Quintero, 28, has admitted he hit Sheila Nabb, a tourist from Calgary, in a hotel elevator in the resort city of Mazatlan, but denied he wanted to kill her and said he never expected to be charged with attempted murder. He also said his confession was forced.
Two men from central Alberta told CBC News they were shocked to see Quintero’s picture plastered all over the media since the alleged beating took place at the upscale Hotel Riu nearly two weeks ago.
Chris Jones and Jordan Garrett from Red Deer said they met Quintero – or as he was called, El Ray – when they travelled to Mazatlan last December.
Jones said they were hanging out at the 24-hour bar when they met a “very drunk” Quintero. “He was just walking around and trying to pick fights with people,” Jones said.
Jones said it looked like Quintero was on a mission to pick up women, even if they had someone with them. He said when Quintero hit on one of their friends they said something to him.
“We weren’t trying to pick a fight, we were just standing up for ourselves,” Jones said.
Other guests at the resort said they had seen Quintero before, and Jones questioned the validity of the wristband that allowed Quintero access to the hotel because at night he would see him leave.
“He was also tipping the bartenders pretty heavily every time that he would go and get a drink,” Jones recalled.
Jones said they also met Quintero’s friend who said he was Canadian, but could also speak Spanish fluently.
“He was shorter, a bit bulkier … and he consistently kept warning him about El Ray and not to mess with him because we were in his country,” Jones said.
Garrett said while Quintero was being loud and obnoxious, they weren’t looking for trouble.
“We didn’t want to get kicked out of the hotel, right, and no one was going to take him seriously. Like you said, he wasn’t the biggest person around,” Garrett said.
The pair also didn’t see any security near the bar, especially the beach access.
While both Jones and Garrett agree there are still some unanswered questions, they said it looked like Quintero and his friend didn’t belong at the five-star resort.
“He had something coming, and I had said I was surprised he hadn’t been beat up by someone because he was asking for it,” said Jones.
A judge is expected to rule on Thursday whether the case against Quintero will proceed.


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