Aspiring Mexican singer and music producer Maria Mathus Tenorio, 25, decided to go on a solo adventure around the world to share her music. Sadly, the first country she set foot in was also the last.
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The first destination on her itinerary was Costa Rica, where, unfortunately, her body was found face down on the beach of El Carmen, in the popular surf resort of Santa Teresa del Cobano, just a week after she had started her journey, said the Ministry of Public Security of Costa Rica.
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According to the police, Maria was with a British woman she had met while travelling when they were assaulted by two men who tried to rob them.
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The British woman managed to escape and inform a security guard, asking for help. However, Mathus Tenorio was cornered and her attacker reportedly assaulted, raped, and then drowned Maria in the sea.
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Official sources report that two suspects have been arrested for the crime, identified as Esquivel Cerdas, who is suspected of attacking the Mexican woman and Benavides Mendoza, who is accused of rape.
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Maria posted a photo on Instagram before starting the trip with the message: "Today my trip starts after a long time wish to travel all around the planet alone.
“The time has arrived to be full of nature. Costa Rica, pure life".
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After the incident, hundreds of people, locals and foreigners participated in the “Marcha de Blanco” (Protest in White), in Santa Teresa, Cobano, Puntarenas, an event organized to pay tribute to María Trinidad Matus, which also had the purpose of raising awareness to battle insecurity and stop violence against women.
A defense attorney in Karen Read’s second murder trial on Thursday questioned a doctor who performed an autopsy on the body of her Boston police officer boyfriend.
Prosecutors say Read, 45, backed her SUV into John O’Keefe, 46, and left him to die on a snowy night in the front yard of another officer's home after she dropped him off at a party there in January 2022. Her lawyers say she was framed in a police conspiracy and someone inside the home that night must have killed him.
A mistrial was declared last year. Read's second trial on charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene has so far appeared to follow similar contours to the first.
Dr. Irini Scordi-Bello testified on Thursday that O'Keefe sustained “a severe injury” to his head. Scordi-Bello performed O’Keefe’s autopsy.
Scordi-Bello said the causes of O'Keefe's death were blunt impact injuries of the head and hypothermia. She said the blunt impact injuries were the primary cause.
Scordi-Bello said she could not, however, determine the manner of death to a reasonable degree of medical certainty.
A defense attorney asked Scordi-Bello Thursday if she evaluated in her autopsy whether O'Keefe appeared to have injuries consistent with a motor vehicle. She said she did, and she said she did not find any.
“Yes, I did examine his lower extremities. That is protocol in any case of suspected impact with a motor vehicle,” she said. “I did not see any evidence of an impact site.”
Scordi-Bello also testified that O'Keefe's head injuries could have been consistent with a fall backward.
On Wednesday, Read attorney Robert Alessi pressed Maureen Hartnett, a Massachusetts state police forensic scientist, on the hair and glass found on the bumper of Read's vehicle.
Similar to when Hartnett was questioned during the first trial, Hartnett said she observed a dent in the trunk door, scratches on the rear bumper and a broken taillight, as well as what appeared to be a hair next to the taillight and pieces of glass on the bumper.
The hair and a swab used on the taillight were sent to outside labs for DNA testing, said Harnett, who also analyzed O’Keefe’s clothing.
The defense has long questioned the evidence found on the SUV due to the vehicle being driven or towed roughly 60 miles (97 kilometers) in a snowstorm.
While presenting a photo of the glass on the bumper, Alessia noted that two samples of glass were flagged in the picture but asked Hartnett if it was possible that it was actually one sample. Alessi theorized that it could be a reflection of the lone sample.
"Is it more than a possibility?" Alessi asked, which prompted an objection from the prosecution that was sustained by the judge.
Alessi also pushed Hartnett on the hair, showing her different photos depicting different angles of the hair found — noting that the hair appeared to have moved drastically between the two photos.
Hartnett refused to speculate about why or how the hair could have moved.
Earlier Wednesday, O'Keefe's niece testified about her relationship with Read, according to news outlets that were in the courtroom. No cameras, laptops or phones were allowed in the courtroom during her testimony.
O'Keefe was taking care of his niece and nephew after their parents had died. Both testified during the first trial, but so far, only the niece has testified during the retrial.
CBS News reported that the niece said that her uncle's relationship with Read was initially close but later turned negative around the end of 2021, saying that they were “fighting a lot.”
Over New Year's, the two had an argument while vacationing in Aruba, said the niece who was with them, adding that Read was upset that he had kissed someone else.
On the night that O'Keefe died, the niece said that Read woke her up early to say that her uncle hadn't come home and began theorizing how O'Keefe could have died.
“Could I have done something?," the niece said that Read asked in those early hours. “Maybe I hit him.”
Prosecuting attorney Hank Brennan questions forensic scientist Maureen Hartnett during the Karen Read trial in Norfolk Superior Court on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Mark Chavous/Enterprise News via AP, Pool)
Defendant Karen Read talks with her attorneys during her murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Mark Chavous/Enterprise News via AP, Pool)
Mass. State Police forensic scientist Maureen Hartnett looks over photo evidence under cross examination at the Karen Read case at Norfolk Superior Court, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Mark Chavous/Enterprise News via AP, Pool)
Defense attorney Robert Aleesi cross examines Mass. State forensic scientist Maureen Hartnett at the Karen Read case in Norfolk Superior Court, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Mark Chavous/Enterprise News via AP, Pool)
Karen Read listens to her defense attorney David Yannetti as her trial in Norfolk Superior Court, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Mark Chavous/Enterprise News via AP, Pool)
Karen Read attends her murder retrial in Norfolk Superior Court, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Sgt. Yuriy Bukhenik, of the Massachusetts State Police, holds the stained jeans cut from Boston Police officer John O'Keefe as he returns to the witness stand in the murder retrial of Karen Read in Norfolk Superior Court, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Karen Read confers with defense attorney David Yannetti, during her murder retrial in Norfolk Superior Court, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Sgt. Yuriy Bukhenik, of the Massachusetts State Police, displays items of evidence found at the Canton, Mass., scene, while under questioning by special prosecutor Hank Brennan, as he returns to the witness stand in the murder retrial of Karen Read in Norfolk Superior Court, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
CORRECTS SPELLING: Under questioning by defense attorney Alan Jackson, Sgt. Yuriy Bukhenik, of the Massachusetts State Police, defines lividity for the jury, when he returns to the witness stand in the murder retrial of Karen Read in Norfolk Superior Court, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
A photo of Karen Read's SUV, parked in the Canton Police Department's sally port, is projected during her murder retrial showing pieces missing from the right, rear taillight, in Norfolk Superior Court, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Special prosecutor Hank Brennan questions Sgt. Yuriy Bukhenik, not shown, of the Massachusetts State Police, during the murder retrial of Karen Read in Norfolk Superior Court, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
With her defense attorneys Alan Jackson, left, and David Yannetti, Karen Read returns to the defense table during her murder retrial in Norfolk Superior Court, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Defense attorney David Yannetti continues the questioning of Hannah Knowles, with the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory on Monday, May 5, 2025, Dedham, Mass. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
John O'Keefe, brother of murder victim John O'Keefe, listens to testimony during the Karen Read murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 9, 2025. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool)
William and Janet Read, parents of Karen Read listen to testimony during the Karen Read murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 9, 2025. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool)
Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Yuriy Bukhenik looks over documents while testifying during the Karen Read murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 9, 2025. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool)
Karen Read gets the attention of her lawyer during the Karen Read murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 9, 2025. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool)
Judge Beverly Cannone speaks to jurors before the start of the Karen Read murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 9, 2025. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool)
Defense lawyer Alan Jackson questions Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Yuriy Bukhenik during the Karen Read murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 9, 2025. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool)
Defense lawyer Alan Jackson, left, questions Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Yuriy Bukhenik during the Karen Read murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 9, 2025. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool)
Defendant Karen Read, center, and defense lawyer David Yannetti, right, listen as Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Yuriy Bukhenik testifieds during the Karen Read murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 9, 2025. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool)
Massachusetts State Police Sergeant Yuriy Bukhenik holds up a red plastic fragment found near where John O'Keefe's body was found during the trial of Karen Read in Norfolk Superior Court, Thursday, May 8, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool)
Massachusetts State Police Sergeant Yuriy Bukhenik holds up a hat which was found on the yard where John O'Keefe's body was found during the trial of Karen Read in Norfolk Superior Court, Thursday, May 8, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool)
Massachusetts State Trooper, Nicholas Guarino answers questions from prosecutor Hank Brennan about text messages and voice mails on John O'Keefe's cell phone during the Karen Read trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Massachusetts State Trooper Lt. Kevin O'Hara testifies during the Karen Read trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Paul O'Keefe, brother of the late John O'Keefe, watches as Karen Read walks by during her trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Karen Read during her trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Karen Read during her trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Evidence video of Karen Read being interviewed by a TV station, shown during the Karen Read trial, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Karen Read smiles as she talks with her attorneys during her trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Karen Read's attorney, Alan Jackson during Read's trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone /The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Karen Read's attorney, Alan Jackson during Read's trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Prosecutor Hank Brennan during the Karen Read trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
An evidence picture of red Solo cups used by the Canton police to collect blood evidence is displayed during the Karen Read trial, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone /The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Karen Read attends her trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Karen Read talks with her attorneys Robert Alessi and David Yannetti during her trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Judge Beverly Cannone looks on during the Karen Read trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone /The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Retired Lt. Paul Gallagher, of the Canton Police Department, takes the stand during the Karen Read trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Karen Read looks on during her trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone /The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Judge Beverly Cannone, presiding in Norfolk Superior Court for the Karen Read trial in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 2, 2025. (Mark Jarret Chavous/The Enterprise via AP, Pool)
Paul O'Keefe, brother of the decedent John O'Keefe, sits with his family during Karen Read's trial at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 2, 2025. (Mark Jarret Chavous/The Enterprise via AP, Pool)
Karen Read talks with her attorneys during her trial at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 2, 2025. (Mark Jarret Chavous/The Enterprise via AP, Pool)
Karen Read listens during her trial at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 2, 2025. (Mark Jarret Chavous/The Enterprise via AP, Pool)
Peggy O'Keefe, mother of John O'Keefe, looks on during Karen Read's trial at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 2, 2025. (Mark Jarret Chavous/The Enterprise via AP, Pool)
Prosecutor Hank Brennan stands in conference before Karen Read's trial at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 2, 2025. (Mark Jarret Chavous/The Enterprise via AP, Pool)
Defense attorney Robert Aleesi listens to the witness testimony of Jen McCabe during Karen Read's trial at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 2, 2025. (Mark Jarret Chavous/The Enterprise via AP, Pool)
William and Janet Read, parents of Karen Read attend her trial at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 2, 2025. (Mark Jarret Chavous/The Enterprise via AP, Pool)
Witness Jen McCabe takes the stand at Norfolk Superior Court during the Karen Read trial in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 2, 2025. (Mark Jarret Chavous/The Enterprise via AP, Pool)
Alan Jackson, defense attorney for Karen Read, questions witness Jen McCabe during Read's trial at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 2, 2025. (Mark Jarret Chavous/The Enterprise via AP, Pool)
Karen Read confers with attorney David Yannetti during her trial at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 2, 2025. (Mark Jarret Chavous/The Enterprise via AP, Pool)
Defense attorney Robert Alessi cross-examines Ian Whiffin, a digital intelligence expert with Celebrite during Karen Read's murder retrial at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Libby O'Neill/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Karen Read listens to testimony during her murder retrial at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Libby O'Neill/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Karen Read speaks to her defense attorney Alan Jackson during her murder retrial at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Libby O'Neill/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Ian Whiffin, a digital intelligence expert with Celebrite, testifies under cross-examination by the defense during Karen Read's murder retrial at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Libby O'Neill/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Defense attorney Robert Alessi cross-examines Ian Whiffin during Karen Read's murder retrial at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Libby O'Neill/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Karen Read listens to testimony during her murder retrial at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Libby O'Neill/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Karen Read listens to testimony during her trial, Thursday, April 24, 2025, at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool)
Mass. State Police detective Nicholas Guarino reviews cellular phone logs while testifying during the Karen Read trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool)
Karen Read, center, speaks with defense team during her trial, Friday, April 25, 2025, at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass. (Josh Reynolds /New York Post via AP, Pool)
Dr. Garrey Faller reviews the medical record of defendant Karen Read as he testified during her trial, Friday, April 25, 2025, at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass. (Josh Reynolds/New York Post via AP, Pool)
John O'Keefe's mother Peggy recounts hearing about her sons death during the Karen Read trial in Norfolk Superior Court at Dedham, Mass., on Wednesday, April 23, 2025 (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Ian Wiffin, a digital intelligence expert, with Celebrite, testifies under direct examination by special prosecutor Hank Brennan during Karen Read's murder retrial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Monday April 28, 2025. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Special prosecutor Hank Brennan questions Ian Wiffin, a digital intelligence expert with Celebrite, during Karen Read's murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court, in front of Judge Beverly J. Cannone, in Dedham, Mass.,Monday April 28, 2025. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
An image of Karen Read's SUV with a damaged taillight which was put into evidence is shown during the Karen Read trial in Norfolk Superior Court at Dedham, Mass., on Wednesday, April 23, 2025 (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
A video from a "Ring" camera at John O'Keefe's home, Karen Read is seen arriving in her SUV to look for O'Keefe with Kerry Roberts and Jennifer McCabe is shown during Read's trial in Norfolk Superior Court at Dedham, Mass., on Wednesday, April 23, 2025 (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Judge Beverly J. Cannone greets jurors as the murder retrial of Karen Read continues, in Norfolk Superior Court, Dedham, Mass., Monday April 28, 2025. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Karen Read listens to the testimony of Cellebrite digital intelligence expert Ian Wiffin, during her murder retrial, in Norfolk Superior Court, in front of Judge Beverly J. Cannone, in Dedham, Mass., Monday April 28, 2025. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
