Friends of sixth domestic violence victim in Malaga province speak up: 'She left him last weekend, but he refused to leave her father's house'
The close circle of the 25-year-old woman who was reportedly murdered by her partner knew about the couple's many fights, including incidents of physical abuse
The weekend before 25-year-old Concepción (Concha for her family and friends) was reportedly murdered by her partner in her father's house in Campillos, she was in Martos (Jaén), where she had strong ties and friendships, as that's where her mother is from. She told her friends about the issue she was facing with Ismael, who she had just broken up with: despite their separation, he was refusing to leave her father's house in Campillos.
As several friends have reported, Concha had previously tried to help him lead a better life and leave behind his "vices". That is why they went to work in the hospitality industry in Barcelona a while back. "She was a waitress and he was a kitchen assistant, but he was later promoted to official cook," Concha's friends said.
They knew that Ismael often argued with Concha, who used the nickname 'Barbie' on social media. Their relationship had been on-and-off for years. Despite those arguments, however, Concha's close circle never expected that he would take her life.
Both Concha and Ismael had previously been in the VioGen system for the protection of domestic violence victims. She had reported an ex-partner and he had been reported by an ex-girlfriend. However, there were no reports between the two of them.
Although Ismael did not spend much time in Campillos, sources close to him have said that he was involved in an altercation with an ex-convict linked to "drug-dealing" matters, in which the Local Police had to intervene.
'He took away a person who was loved by so many, a loyal friend'
Hours after news of Concha's death broke out, social media was flooded with photos of 'Barbie'. Her friends and loved ones expressed their love and pain. "He took away a person who was loved by many, a loyal friend, a person with a heart and a smile of gold," one of the posts reads.
Others called for justice, hoping that Ismael would bear the full weight of the law. "How can there be people so cruel and shameless (...) I hope that karma repays you for what you have done to her."
Concha is the sixth fatal victim of gender-based violence in the province of Malaga so far this year, which has had the highest figure since records have been collected.
Make-up and tattoo artist and waitress
Concha lived most of her life with her mother in Granada, where she trained as a make-up artist and learned to tattoo. She also had other jobs, one of them as a waitress at well-known electronic music club Industrial Copera. Her former colleagues also took to social media to express their shock, sorrow and condolences. "The memory of Concha, of her professionalism and qualities will always remain with us. Her absence leaves a huge void and her memory drives us to continue defending a society free of domestic violence," Industrial Copera's Instagram profile reads.
The 016 telephone line attends to cases of gender-based violence in 52 different languages 24 hours a day. Calls are free and cannot be traced in the phone bill. Reports can also be made, whether by the victim herself, relatives or witnesses, via the email address 016-online@igualdad.gob.es. The service can also be contacted through WhatsApp on 600 000 016.
In an emergency, you can call 112, the National Police (091), the Local Police (092) or the Guardia Civil (062). If making a phone call is not possible, you can use the ALERTCOPS app, which allows you to send a signal with geolocation directly to the police.
