After getting a tip via Instagram DM that two Russian women had interacted with David Varela — the Norfolk man who authorities believe murdered his Colombian-American wife, Lina Guerra before fleeing the country — in a chance encounter that included photos, the WTKR investigative team had some questions.
Court documents indicate that Varela may have fled the country to Hong Kong after Lina's murder. After being reported missing, the 39-year-old woman was found dead in an apartment freezer in the Icon building in downtown Norfolk. The cause: asphyxiation and blunt force trauma.
When we saw the messages from the Russian women, we sought to prove the veracity through various means. Without directly sharing the images, we asked Lina's family to identify Varela's tattoos — tattoos that were not visible on images publicly shared as part of our coverage on the story. They verified that his left arm bares a tattoo with the Latin phrase, "Veni, vidi, vici," or "I came, I saw, I conquered."
Watch the full investigation
The women, who WTKR will not identify for their safety, said one of them went on a date with Varela in Hong Kong, who used his real name and told her about his military background. They also gave us two phone numbers for Varela.
So, Margaret Kavanagh video called one of them, and a man who answered to "David," who looks just like the man in the photos, answered.
"Did you have any comment about the accusations regarding Lina?" Margaret asked. The man covers the camera lens, hangs up, and then blocks her.
We also shared this information with authorities, who said any bit helps in their efforts to bring Varela back to the U.S. to face justice for Lina's brutal murder.
In this episode of True Crime 757, Margaret discusses the investigation into Varela's whereabouts and what we learned from the women who met him in Hong Kong.
Watch our previous episode about the investigation into Lina Guerra's murder
True Crime 757 is sponsored by Korslund Law
