Spanish police have declared the death of Jose Rosado, a New Jersey-born yacht mogul, a homicide that appears to have been masterminded by "two or three" people drugging him at a bar and luring him into a suite, promising sex.
"Depressant substances were found in his body that, mixed with alcohol, were the ones that killed him", police told the Spanish newspaper El País.
It is suspected that Rosado was killed in a so-called "chemical submission" attack and robbed afterwards, as police detected that some of his belongings went missing after his death.
The conclusion followed the initial estimation that Rosado died of natural causes because the authorities found no signs of abuse on his breathless body when it was discovered at the Westin Palace Hotel in late October.
Yet, shortly after Rosado's death, charges from his credit card started emerging, triggering suspicions. On Monday, the authorities took two men into custody, a 39-year-old Romanian with nine previous arrests, and a 29-year-old Moroccan with 17 arrests for what police described as "similar events". They have reportedly been charged with homicide, robbery with violence, and fraud.
Originally from New Jersey, Rosado lived in Miami and was the CEO of Spain's largest private yacht company, Hijos de J. Barreras.