Settlement talks fail in alleged attempt to kill Alejandro Valverde as accused faces potential 15-year prison sentence

A court hearing aimed at reaching a settlement in the case surrounding the alleged attempted killing of former world champion Alejandro Valverde has ended without agreement, meaning the case is now likely to move towards a full trial.

According to reports from Spanish media following the hearing at the Provincial Court of Murcia, prosecutors continue to pursue severe charges against the accused driver, seeking a combined sentence of 15 years and three months in prison. The charges relate to two counts of attempted homicide and one offence of reckless driving following an incident involving Valverde and another cyclist during a training ride in 2022.

The case centres on an incident that took place in July 2022 on a road in Murcia, where Valverde was riding with a group of cyclists. According to the prosecution’s provisional conclusions, the accused – a retired member of Spain’s Guardia Civil – allegedly struck Valverde and another rider with his car after an earlier confrontation while overtaking the group.

As a result of the collision, the former Movistar rider and current Spanish national team coach suffered injuries that required around 30 days to heal. A second cyclist involved in the incident sustained significantly more serious injuries, reportedly taking 412 days to recover.

The severity of the charges reflects the prosecution’s belief that the act went beyond a dangerous driving incident and amounted to two attempted homicides.

The defence has strongly rejected that interpretation of events. Eduardo Romera, the lawyer representing the accused, has argued that the prosecution’s assessment of the incident is incorrect and insists that his client never acted with homicidal intent.

According to Romera, even under a hypothetical legal interpretation of the events, the incident would amount at most to offences relating to causing injury, rather than attempted homicide.

Despite the failure to reach an agreement at the latest hearing, the defence has indicated that it remains open to negotiating a settlement, meaning talks between the parties could continue.

However, unless a deal is reached in the coming stages of the process, the case involving one of Spain’s most celebrated cyclists now appears increasingly likely to proceed to a full criminal trial.