Family lawyer for Wisconsin man's alleged murder victim says Franklin native appears to have 'sociopathic behavior'

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The family lawyer for a Wisconsin man's alleged murder victim in Colombia told CBS 58 the Franklin native's past in the U.S. can give insight into the crime he's accused of.

Miguel Ángel Del Río is the attorney representing family members of Valentina Trespalacios who prosecutors say was killed in January by John Poulos, originally from Franklin.

Prosecutors accuse 35-year-old Poulos of killing Trespalacions, 21, putting her body in a suitcase, disposing the body in a dumpster and attempting to flee the continent.

Poulos maintains his innocence and denies the accusations. A judge determined to keep Poulos in pre-trial detention in a Colombian jail until his trial.

CBS 58 obtained a statement from Poulos' estranged wife who still lives in Franklin in which she alleges the marriage with John was abusive and he abandoned the family after they filed for divorce in Jan. 2021.

"I am not surprised by his wife's statements," Del Río told CBS 58 in an interview via video call. He spoke in Spanish, but his words are translated. "It seems that there is a sociopathic behavior that should be analyzed very clearly, because the way, Victor, the way he ends up killing Valentina is brutal."

Del Río said his office is looking into Poulos' history in Wisconsin and the U.S. in general. He alleges Poulos appears to have a pattern of violence with intimate partners. Del Río said through an investigation, Poulos allegedly interacted with Colombian sex workers and would imagine violent scenarios in conversations with them.

Poulos is accused of aggravated femicide for Trespalacios' death.

"John Poulos exercised a certain manipulation through economic resources," Del Río said. "Through that and his personal obsession he thought that Valentina was an object of his possession."

The attorney claims evidence like security camera footage, airplane tickets, receipts and more give him confidence of putting Poulos behind bars.

Del Río said the case, which has garnered an almost spectacle-like attention in Colombia, is much bigger than just John Poulos and Valentina Trespalacios.

"We will surely have a very important decision that will establish the criminal responsibility of Mr. John Poulos, and we can demonstrate here to the women in Colombia that justice is effective and that they are protected," Del Río said.

Del Río added Poulos' legal team will likely aim to address procedural issues and legal technicalities tied to his arrest to be set free, though Del Río is confident that was handled appropriately.

The next step in the legal process is an arraignment likely to happen within 90 days.