CNN —
Colombian authorities have charged an American citizen with the alleged murder of a Colombian DJ woman, whose body was found in a suitcase on the bottom of a dumpster.
John Poulos was arrested and detained at Panama’s Tocumen International Airport on Tuesday while attempting to leave for Istanbul, the Panamanian National Police said.
During a televised court hearing in Bogota that lasted more than five hours, Poulos spoke through an interpreter to dismiss the charges relating to the death of Valentina Trespalacios, 23, a well-known electronic music DJ.
Trespalacios’ body was found by a recycler in a dumpster in southwestern Bogotá in the early hours of January 22.
At an earlier hearing on Thursday, the court heard details of a relationship between Trespalacios and Poulos.
Poulos’ defense claimed that his arrest was flawed and that due process had not been followed.
Colombian prosecutors and police say they have more than 300 hours of security footage showing Poulos and Trespalacios in the days before their bodies were found.
Another hearing is scheduled for January 31.