ENGUERA, Spain — The judge investigating Nacho Vidal for a confusing episode at his country house — in which a fashion photographer died after participating in a psychedelic healing ritual involving toad venom — has finished her investigation and upheld the charges against the prominent Spanish adult performer.
As XBIZ reported in early June 2020, Vidal was arrested by Spanish police over a drug-related death at his country house the prior summer.
The incident involved a gathering in July 2019, where the semi-retired performer and others allegedly partook of a "sapo bufo psychedelic ritual." Sapo bufo is a frog said to secrete the consciousness-altering substance DMT.
A fashion photographer present at the gathering died at the time, and Vidal was charged last summer after an almost yearlong investigation.
Nine months later, the trial is now underway. The charge is “homicidio imprudente” (“homicide by neglect”). The death had been initially ruled “accidental” in 2019.
The participation of Vidal in the “sapo bufo” ritual that ended up with the death of the photographer had been known for months before he was charged, and the performer had given media interviews about his mind-altering experiences with the ritual and the "accident" that resulted in the photographer's death.
Vidal has been in the news over the past few years concerning his HIV status. There has been contradictory information about his status or ability to work in adult productions, which Vidal has further complicated through rambling talk show appearances in Spanish-language media.
He is also the subject of an authorized biopic series which is currently in production.
A Detox Attempt Gone Very Wrong
Vidal was arrested in 2020 alongside a household employee and a woman identified as his cousin, according to Spanish news site El Español.
Spanish authorities allege that José Luis Abad, a well-known fashion photographer, died during a ritual hosted by Vidal to cure the Toledo fashion photographer from drug addiction.
The botched detox ritual was allegedly performed in Vidal’s country home in Enguera, near Valencia on July 28, 2019.
According to Spanish newspaper El Pais, the judge has now finished the investigation and ruled that Vidal’s cousin and another suspect should not be charged, but upheld the “homicidio imprudente” charges against Vidal arguing he was “in control of the situation” and “gave instructions during it” based on “his own experiences having performed the same kind of acts before.”
Vidal's Lawyer: 'He is Not a Shaman'
The judge ruled that the victim died because of an adverse drug reaction after participating in a “practice, rite, or spiritual or mystical experience.” She also revealed that there is a video recording of the “sapo bufo” ritual performed at Vidal’s house that day.
The judge claims that Vidal did not set up “any kind of precautions in case of complications during the practice.” The investigation also showed the house did not have first-aid supplies or a defibrillator and Vidal did not appear to have any kind of CPR training.
“Faced with a supposed ritual that proved irrational, foolhardy and dangerous, [Vidal] acted without any kind of rigor nor did he anticipate the risks that finally occurred,” the magistrate summarized.
Vidal’s lawyer called the death “lamentable” but “accidental” and denied that Vidal had taken the duties of a “shaman” during the fateful ritual.
