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Costa Rica arrests surfer Kurt Van Dyke’s girlfriend and a second suspect in his killing

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets. No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered it yet.

4 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency arrested Kurt Van Dyke’s 31-year-old girlfriend, Arroyo, and a 34-year-old man, Gutiérrez, in raids on three homes in Roxana, Pococí, the Daily Mail and the New York Post report. Van Dyke, 66, a California native who lived in Costa Rica, was found dead beneath his bed in February with stab wounds and signs of asphyxiation. The Los Angeles Times and the Daily Beast report that Arroyo told police two armed men restrained her and stole valuables. Authorities suspect the two arrested people of participating in the killing, and the Daily Beast reports they suspect Arroyo of orchestrating it. Authorities have not publicly detailed the suspects’ roles or confirmed whether the arrested woman is Van Dyke’s girlfriend.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. Editors read every story. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency arrested Van Dyke’s girlfriend, Arroyo, 31, and Gutiérrez, 34, on suspicion of participating in the killing.

    Across the spectrumReported byFar Left1Left1Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    Los Angeles Times
    Right
    Daily Mail, New York Post

  2. The arrests followed raids on three homes in Roxana, Pococí.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    Daily Mail, New York Post

  3. Van Dyke, 66, was found dead beneath his bed in his Costa Rica home in February, with stab wounds and signs of asphyxiation.

    Across the spectrumReported byFar Left1Left1Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    Los Angeles Times
    Right
    Daily Mail, New York Post

  4. Arroyo has said two armed men restrained her and stole valuables during a robbery.

    Reported byLeft1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Los Angeles Times
    Right
    Daily Mail

  5. The Daily Beast reports that authorities suspect Arroyo of orchestrating the robbery that led to the killing.

    One outletThe Daily Beast· Far Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

Both sides report the arrests of Arroyo and Gutiérrez over the February killing of the California surfer. Right-side headlines stress grisly detail and the breakthrough, while left-side headlines stress her earlier robbery account and the suspicion against her.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Left-side headlines frame the arrest as a reversal of the girlfriend’s robbery account; the Far Left Daily Beast goes furthest, calling it a huge twist.

    Surf legend's girlfriend said he was killed in a robbery. Authorities now suspect her in his murder
    Los Angeles TimesLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    No coverage yet

    No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the right

    2 outlets

    Right-side headlines lead with the arrest as a massive breakthrough, the grisly crime scene and, in the Daily Mail, the girlfriend’s age gap with Van Dyke.

    Sensational language“Massive breakthrough”The phrase presents an arrest as a major success before the case’s outcome is known.More neutral: Arrests inDisagree with this highlight? in case of legendary California surfer found Sensational language“butchered”The word describes the killing in graphic terms beyond the reported stab wounds and asphyxiation.More neutral: killedDisagree with this highlight? in his Costa Rica home
    New York PostRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left2

    brutalHuge Twist

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right3

    Massive breakthroughbutcheredage-gap

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    Massive breakthroughMore neutral: Arrests in

    The phrase presents an arrest as a major success before the case’s outcome is known.

    Massive breakthrough in case of legendary California surfer found butchered in his Costa Rica home

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    butcheredMore neutral: killed

    The word describes the killing in graphic terms beyond the reported stab wounds and asphyxiation.

    Massive breakthrough in case of legendary California surfer found butchered in his Costa Rica home

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    brutalMore neutral: fatal

    The adjective adds a judgement about the killing beyond the reported stab wounds and asphyxiation.

    …the girlfriend of slain surfer Kurt Van Dyke, 66, suspecting her of orchestrating a brutal robbery-turned-murder that she initially claimed to have survived.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    Huge TwistMore neutral: New development

    The phrase adds drama to a development that can be stated plainly as an arrest.

    Huge Twist as Girlfriend of Surf Legend Is Arrested for His Murder

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

Show 1 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded modifier

    age-gapMore neutral: girlfriend

    Labeling the couple by their age gap adds a judgement about the relationship that has no bearing on the arrest.

    Murdered surfing legend's age-gap girlfriend is arrested over the killing months after claiming she was tied up during…

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

2 outlets

Leads with

  • the girlfriend’s earlier robbery account
  • suspicion that she is involved
  • the arrest as a reversal
See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    Sensational language“Huge Twist”The phrase adds drama to a development that can be stated plainly as an arrest.More neutral: New developmentDisagree with this highlight? as Girlfriend of Surf Legend Is Arrested for His Murder

    Costa Rican authorities have arrested the girlfriend of slain surfer Kurt Van Dyke, 66, suspecting her of orchestrating a Sensational language“brutal”The adjective adds a judgement about the killing beyond the reported stab wounds and asphyxiation.More neutral: fatalDisagree with this highlight? robbery-turned-murder that she initially claimed to have survived. …

    Read at The Daily Beast (opens in a new tab)
  • Los Angeles TimesLeft

    Surf legend's girlfriend said he was killed in a robbery. Authorities now suspect her in his murder

    Kurt Van Dyke, a legendary Santa Cruz surfer, was found dead with stab wounds and signs of asphyxiation in February.

    Read at Los Angeles Times (opens in a new tab)

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

2 outlets

Leads with

  • the arrest as a breakthrough
  • grisly details of the crime scene
  • the girlfriend’s age gap
See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • Daily MailRight

    Murdered surfing legend's Loaded modifier“age-gap”Labeling the couple by their age gap adds a judgement about the relationship that has no bearing on the arrest.More neutral: girlfriendDisagree with this highlight? girlfriend is arrested over the killing months after claiming she was tied up during deadly home invasion

    The surfing legend was found dead under his bed with a sheet over his head in February

    Read at Daily Mail (opens in a new tab)
  • New York PostRight

    Sensational language“Massive breakthrough”The phrase presents an arrest as a major success before the case’s outcome is known.More neutral: Arrests inDisagree with this highlight? in case of legendary California surfer found Sensational language“butchered”The word describes the killing in graphic terms beyond the reported stab wounds and asphyxiation.More neutral: killedDisagree with this highlight? in his Costa Rica home

    Two people have been arrested over the killing of a legendary California surfer at his Costa Rica home nine months ago, according to local reports. …

    Read at New York Post (opens in a new tab)

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    7 hr later

    Its first report, Nov 13, 1:32 AM EST

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    First to report

    New York Post, Nov 12, 6:31 PM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. New York PostRightNov 12, 6:31 PM EST
  2. Los Angeles TimesLeftNov 13, 1:32 AM EST
  3. The Daily BeastFar LeftNov 13, 11:27 AM EST
  4. Daily MailRightNov 13, 12:55 PM EST

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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