Armando's Death

**Armando's Death** is an event that took place in the fourth season of *Elite*. Unlike Marina and Polo, the death was an intentional murder. However, it was still covered up as a mysterious disappearance. The investigation into the death continued into the fifth season.

## History

During a New Year's Eve party, Armando arrived at Club Del Lago where he intended to continue taking advantage of Mencía, who finally has had enough of his obssesion with her. They were seen from a distance in the club's pier by Rebeka, who managed to subdue Armando with a single punch, knocking him aside into a boat, and the two managed to escape from him. Ari also saw them and, tossing her drink aside, made it clear to Armando that he was never going to hurt anyone ever again because she is going to call her father Benjamín so that he could destroy his reputation in no time. However, just before she was able to talk to him, Armando angrily snatched the phone from Ari and started attacking her, leaving her injured.

At the same time, Guzmán, who was fighting Samuel after a misunderstanding with Ari, heard a voicenote she sent to Samuel asking him to meet at the pier, forcing him to stop. Worried, he rushed to the pier to find Ari in her current state and Armando attempting to escape. With her final strengths, Ari pleaded for Guzmán to go after Armando, which he obliges. Unknown to Guzmán, however, Ari got dizzy and fell into the river. Guzmán followed Armando to a storage room where he grabbed a stick to beat Armando and the two engage in a brief fight, with Armando winning by trapping Guzmán on a shelf. Releasing himself and rising to his feet, Guzmán grabbed a firework gun and aimed at Armando, who attempts to run, but realizes this too late as Guzmán shoots him in the back with it, causing Armando to fall to the ground and cough up blood from his mouth. He instantly dies from the shotgun afterwards. As he returns to the pier, Ari is nowhere to be found. Guzmán asks Samuel and Rebeka if they had seen Ari, but they deny it. In tears, Guzmán believes that Ari had died and suggests that they call the police. Samuel agrees, but they will only tell part of the story and say that Ari had disappeared and that they have no idea where she is. Moments later, Ari is pulled back from the river and taken to an ambulance by the paramedics, which is witnessed by Mencía, Patrick and Benjamín, who desperately want to see her but are repeatedly pulled back by the police.

After Ari is revealed to be still alive, Guzmán tells Samuel and Rebeka about him killing Armando and thinks is best if he turned himself in. However, Samuel and Rebeka convince him not to: Samuel doesn't want Guzmán to go through the same pain his brother Nano had experienced when he was charged with Marina's murder, though Guzmán corrects him saying that he was innocent, while Rebeka assures Guzmán that he will be declared innocent if he agrees to work on a plan to cover up the murder as a disappearance. At their insistence, Guzmán aids Samuel and Rebeka in disposing of Armando's body by throwing it into a river so that it will never be found, then he lies to the police and Ari, whom he visits at the hospital, that Armando had knocked him out and disappeared without a trace. Guzmán later decides to go with Ander on his lifetime trip, both to try and move on from his breakup with Nadia and Ari's rejection, and to also leave his tainted past behind, especially after what he has done. As he and Ander bid farewell to their friends, Guzmán quietly asks Rebeka not to say anything about this to Omar and Cayetana.

His dead body was eventually found by Omar and Bilal, and later the police. Samuel takes the heat of Armando's death to protect Guzmán before being released on bail.

## People Involved

* **Guzmán**: Guzmán is the culprit in the murder and, after a brief fight, he kills Armando by shooting him in the back with a firework gun when he attacked Ari to prevent her from telling Benjamín the truth behind the affair with her rebellious sister Mencía. At Samuel and Rebeka's insistence, he lies to Ari and the police that Armando had knocked him out and disappeared with no trace, though not before they help him get rid of the body by throwing it into a river.
* **Samuel**: Samuel tells Guzmán that his life will be over if he goes to jail, not wanting him to repeat his brother Nano's story when he was charged with Marina's murder, though Guzmán asserts that he was innocent. Nevertheless, he and Rebeka manage to convince Guzmán to go through with the plan. He later aids Guzmán and Rebeka in disposing of the body.
* **Rebeka**: Rebeka tells Guzmán that Armando deserved what he got for what he did to Mencía and Ari. She also tells him that he will get to walk away free as an innocent person if he agrees to cooperate on the plan to cover up Armando's murder as a disappearance. She later aids Guzmán and Samuel in throwing away the body into the river. As Guzmán bids farewell to his friends, he quietly asks Rebeka not to tell Omar and Cayetana about this. After Omar drags Armando's corpse out of the river, he confronts her and Samuel for concealing the information. Rebeka tells him that it was to protect him, Guzmán, herself and Samuel. Both of them contemplate on dragging the corpse back to the river but decide to call the police after some insistence from Omar. Finding out about the SIM card, Rebeka asks Mencía to give it to her. She initially refuses, but ultimately gives it to Rebeka. After Benjamín attacks and nearly kills Samuel over the SIM card, Rebeka, Omar, Mencía and Ari arrive at the house, finding Samuel injured and Patrick covered in blood, with Rebeka and Omar tending to him. The furious Rebeka punches Benjamín as revenge.
* **Omar**: Omar finds out about Samuel, Rebeka and Guzmán's involvement after dragging Armando's corpse, with Bilal's help, out of the river where it was disposed of. He confronts Samuel and Rebeka for concealing the information after initially assuming that Armando was missing. Both of them contemplate on dragging the corpse back to the river but decide to call the police after some insistence from Omar.
* **Bilal**: Bilal doesn't do as much as he only helps Omar in dragging Armando's corpse out of the river and then orders him to leave.
* **Ari**: Ari becomes aware of Armando's death after seeing his corpse while swimming with Iván in said river by chance. She also finds out about Samuel, Rebeka and Guzmán's involvement. She asks Samuel if Guzmán killed Armando, but he resists telling her the truth.
* **Mencía**: Mencía becomes aware of Armando's death after everyone is asked to leave Club del Lago. Her suspicions grow further after finding a SIM card inside the cellphone Armando previously gave to her, which implicated both him and her father. She gives the SIM card to him but hides a copy she made of it. She finds out about Samuel, Rebeka and Guzmán's involvement after overhearing her and Omar talking about Samuel's arrest. Rebeka later asks her to give her the SIM card. She initially refuses, but ultimately gives it to her. After Benjamín attacks and nearly kills Samuel over the SIM card, Mencía calls the police on her father and he is arrested, with her and her siblings watching devastated.
* **Patrick**: Patrick becomes aware of Armando's death after everyone is asked to leave Club del Lago. After Benjamín attacks and nearly kills Samuel over the SIM card, he finds his father standing over Samuel's corpse. Benjamín drags him out of the pool. Patrick suggests calling an ambulance but Benjamín refuses. Nevertheless, Patrick makes the call anyway. He tries to help Samuel who begs Patrick not to harm him. Mencía calls the police on her father and he is arrested, with him and his sisters watching devastated.
* **Benjamín**: Benjamín tricks Samuel into taking the fall for Armando's murder and freezes his children and Phillipe's bank accounts so that neither won't help pay for his bail. He entrusts Mencía with hiding his second phone that implicates his illegal business with Armando. After Samuel is bailed out thanks to Iván, Benjamín attempts to bribe Samuel into not denouncing him to the police; he refuses. As a result, Benjamín attacks Samuel over the SIM card, accidentally injuring him. Patrick finds him and Samuel, and Benjamín drags him out of the pool. Patrick suggests calling an ambulance but Benjamín refuses. Nevertheless, Patrick makes the call anyway. Benjamín tries to tell Omar, Rebeka, Ari and Mencía that it was an accident, but they don't believe him and the furious Rebeka punches him as revenge. Mencía calls the police on her father and he is arrested for both the attack and his other crime.
* **Cayetana**: To a lesser extent, as Rebeka asks her to sneak into Benjamín's office at night to try and find some incriminating evidence against him. Cayetana goes by disguising herself as a nightguard. However, Cayetana is caught by another guard and she is fired as the school's cleaner.

## References

1. ↑ *Before I Go (Part II)*
2. ↑ *The Body*
3. ↑ *Please, Tell the Truth*