{"id":4051,"date":"2026-05-30T11:13:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T11:13:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/ex-footballer-arrested-as-beheaded-friends-body-found-in-suitcase-in-gruesome-killing\/"},"modified":"2026-05-30T11:13:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T11:13:47","slug":"ex-footballer-arrested-as-beheaded-friends-body-found-in-suitcase-in-gruesome-killing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/ex-footballer-arrested-as-beheaded-friends-body-found-in-suitcase-in-gruesome-killing\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-footballer arrested as beheaded friend&#8217;s body found in suitcase in gruesome killing"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_d097ad\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">WARNING, GRAPHIC DETAILS: The body was found with a Bible next to it after being set on fire<\/h2>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37225342\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Abel Stiven Carabali\" loading=\"eager\" sizes=\"(max-width: 508px) 508px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37225342.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_VIDEO-Ex-footballer-linked-to-top-club-29-arrested-for-beheading-and-burning-his-friend.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37225342.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s508\/0_VIDEO-Ex-footballer-linked-to-top-club-29-arrested-for-beheading-and-burning-his-friend.jpg 508w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37225342.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615\/0_VIDEO-Ex-footballer-linked-to-top-club-29-arrested-for-beheading-and-burning-his-friend.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37225342.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_VIDEO-Ex-footballer-linked-to-top-club-29-arrested-for-beheading-and-burning-his-friend.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Abel Stiven Carabali has been detained following the brutal death of his friend\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Abel Stiven Carabali has been detained following the brutal death of his friend<cite aria-label=\"Image: JamPress\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: JamPress)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">A former footballer has been arrested on suspicion of decapitating his friend before setting the body alight. Fire crews were called to a grass fire in Curacavi, Chile, where they uncovered the charred remains of a man on April 12.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Emergency crews discovered a Bible placed next to the victim&#8217;s severed head. Investigators believe the victim had been subjected to torture prior to his death. A month into the inquiry, Abel Stiven Carabali, a 30-year-old ex-Colombian footballer, <a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailystar.co.uk\/sport\/football\/breaking-abel-stiven-carabali-murder-37215889\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">was detained in Santiago.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">CCTV footage is reported to show him leaving a car park in the Chilean capital, pushing a trolley. Prosecutors believe his friend&#8217;s body was concealed inside it, as reported by <a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"NeedToKnowLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/needtoknow.co.uk\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">NeedToKnow<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Authorities allege that Carabali, assisted by a fellow Colombian working as a taxi driver, loaded the body into a car boot and transported it to Curacavi. Once there, the pair allegedly set the remains ablaze before fleeing the scene.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! <a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MirrorSport#\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">All the best sports news and much more on our dedicated Facebook page<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Back in <a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/colombia\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">Colombia<\/a>, Carabali had been an amateur footballer with connections to Deportivo Cali, one of the nation&#8217;s most decorated clubs. Prosecutors claim that after relocating to Chile, he became involved in a drug trafficking gang, eventually climbing to a position of leadership.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The victim was also Colombian and had a prior history of drug trafficking offences. His identity has not been disclosed. He and Carabali had reportedly been friends for at least eight years through their shared involvement in football, according to prosecutors.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-37225339\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37225339\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.77\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The scene where the victim's charred remains were found\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37225339.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_VIDEO-Ex-footballer-linked-to-top-club-29-arrested-for-beheading-and-burning-his-friend.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37225339.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_VIDEO-Ex-footballer-linked-to-top-club-29-arrested-for-beheading-and-burning-his-friend.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37225339.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_VIDEO-Ex-footballer-linked-to-top-club-29-arrested-for-beheading-and-burning-his-friend.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37225339.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_VIDEO-Ex-footballer-linked-to-top-club-29-arrested-for-beheading-and-burning-his-friend.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"The scene where the victim's charred remains were found\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">The scene where the victim&#8217;s charred remains were found<cite aria-label=\"Image: JamPress\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: JamPress)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Prosecutor Carmen Gloria Guevara told local media: &#8220;Before the decapitation, he suffered multiple stab wounds that would have been unnecessary if the intention was simply to kill him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;The way they displayed the body, abandoned it, burned it, dismembered it and left a Bible beside the victim&#8217;s head, clearly points to the hallmarks of organised crime.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-37225343\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37225343\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.63\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A video grab of Abel Stiven Carabali leaving a car park with a trolley believed to be containing his friend's body\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37225343.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_VIDEO-Ex-footballer-linked-to-top-club-29-arrested-for-beheading-and-burning-his-friend.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37225343.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_VIDEO-Ex-footballer-linked-to-top-club-29-arrested-for-beheading-and-burning-his-friend.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37225343.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_VIDEO-Ex-footballer-linked-to-top-club-29-arrested-for-beheading-and-burning-his-friend.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37225343.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_VIDEO-Ex-footballer-linked-to-top-club-29-arrested-for-beheading-and-burning-his-friend.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Carabali leaving a car park with a trolley believed to be containing his friend's body\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Carabali leaving a car park with a trolley believed to be containing his friend&#8217;s body<cite aria-label=\"Image: JamPress\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: JamPress)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Initially, detectives considered a ransom kidnapping as a possible motive, but as enquiries deepened, a revenge attack linked to drug trafficking emerged as the most probable alleged cause.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">During raids, officers confiscated drugs and firearms of varying calibres, including a weapon that had been modified to resemble a military rifle.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-37225341\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37225341\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.45\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A video grab of Abel Stiven Carabali being arrested\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37225341.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_VIDEO-Ex-footballer-linked-to-top-club-29-arrested-for-beheading-and-burning-his-friend.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37225341.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_VIDEO-Ex-footballer-linked-to-top-club-29-arrested-for-beheading-and-burning-his-friend.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37225341.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_VIDEO-Ex-footballer-linked-to-top-club-29-arrested-for-beheading-and-burning-his-friend.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37225341.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_VIDEO-Ex-footballer-linked-to-top-club-29-arrested-for-beheading-and-burning-his-friend.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Abel Stiven Carabali is taken into custody\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Abel Stiven Carabali is taken into custody<cite aria-label=\"Image: JamPress\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: JamPress)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Both Carabali and the taxi driver, aged 51, have been remanded in custody, facing charges of aggravated murder, along with weapons possession and drug trafficking offences.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Prosecutors have confirmed that two further alleged gang members have been identified but are yet to be apprehended.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/chat.whatsapp.com\/KLOUWbmSQd86jj7ZbbVOHa\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\"><em><u>Join our new WhatsApp community<\/u><\/em><\/a><em> and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don&#8217;t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you&#8217;re curious, you can read our <\/em><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reachplc.com\/site-services\/privacy-policy\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\"><em><u>Privacy Notice.<\/u><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/sport\/football\/news\/abel-stiven-carabali-murder-cali-37225344\" target=\"_blank\">Source link<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WARNING, GRAPHIC DETAILS: The body was found with a Bible next to it after being<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4052,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0_VIDEO-Ex-footballer-linked-to-top-club-29-arrested-for-beheading-and-burning-his-friend.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4051"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4051\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}