The grisly murder of California surfing legend Kurt Van Dyke at his Costa Rican home had all the earmarks of a home invasion gone awry.
asserted
murder → have → invasion
But further investigation by local cops unearthed something far more sinister.
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investigation → unearth → something
The murder was allegedly a setup orchestrated by his former girlfriend and a male accomplice.
uncertain
murder → orchestrate → girlfriend
Cops say that on Feb. 14, Van Dyke, 66, was found dead under a bed in his home in Hone Creek, Cahuita, Talamanca on the Caribbean side of the Central American country.
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Dyke → say → country
He had reportedly suffered stab wounds and had signs of asphyxiation, The Tico Times reported.
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Times → suffer → asphyxiation
Girlfriend was restrained with zip-ties
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Girlfriend → restrain → ties
When officers arrived, they found his 31-year-old girlfriend — identified only as Arroyo — restrained with zip ties.
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girlfriend → arrive → ties
The murder sent seismic waves throughout the surfing world.
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murder → send → world
Now, Costa Rican detectives say evidence is pointing to Arroyo and multiple other suspects, including a 34-year-old man with the last name Gutiérrez.
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evidence → say → name
Cops raided three homes in pursuit of the killers.
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Cops → raid → killers
Arroyo had told cops out of the starting gate that two armed male suspects were responsible.
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suspects → tell → gate
She was restrained and the thugs purloined valuables.
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thugs → restrain → valuables
Her car, a Hyundai Elantra, was also reportedly stolen.
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car → steal → ?
It was later recovered undamaged.
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It → recover → ?
But investigators believe the real prize the killers were after was access codes for bank cards linked to the hotel Van Dyke operated.
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Dyke → believe → hotel
Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) alleges that Arroyo used her close relationship with Van Dyke to allow the attackers into the property.
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Arroyo → allege → property
Cops say girlfriend participated in murder
OIJ deputy director Vladimir Muñoz said: “It was established that a woman surnamed Arroyo, aged 31, who had a close relationship with the victim, participated.”
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who → say → victim
Now, cops say they are hunting two other men connected with the plot.
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they → say → plot
Van Dyke was a native of Santa Cruz, California and owned a hostel in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca.
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Dyke → own → Talamanca
The victim was as close as one could get to royalty in the surfing world.
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one → get → world
His father, Gene Van Dyke, pioneered the sport in Northern California in the 1950s.
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father → pioneer → 1950s
His mother, Betty, who died in 2021 at 88, was one of the first female competitive surfing champions in the world.
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who → die → world
Van Dyke moved to Costa Rica in 1983 and was a prominent figure in the country’s tourism industry.
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Dyke → move → industry
“My brother was a very benevolent, giving person who would help just about anybody,” his brother Peter Van Dyke told the San Francisco Chronicle.
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brother → give → Chronicle
“Kurt would never hurt anybody, and he was always there when you needed him.
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you → hurt → him
Everyone that he met knew this about him.”
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he → meet → him
He added: “It’s a very sad time because of all the great memories we have growing up together, farming and surfing.”
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we → add → memories
The Aporia
