Campillos murder suspect apparently told colleagues not to expect him at work on the day of the crime

Her name was Concepción, but people called her Concha. She was 25 years old on Wednesday, 26 November, when she became the sixth fatal victim of gender-based violence in the province of Malaga, murdered by her partner, with whom she lived in her father's house in Campillos.

The suspect, who worked in agriculture, apparently told his colleagues on Tuesday that he would not be going to work the next day, which is when he committed the crime. Not even 24 hours had passed since the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the protest that took place in Malaga city.

The 28-year-old man turned himself in at a Guardia Civil station in the province of Jaén and confessed that he might have killed his girlfriend. The police were mobilised to the house in Campillos, located in the Paulano area, where they confirmed the young woman's death. Once ratified by the Ministry of Equality, Concepción's death will be the sixth case of gender-based violence with a fatal end in the province so far this year.

Concepción's father was reportedly not in the house when the incident occurred. He had left around 7am to go to work - he also works on the land, but for another farm. According to witnesses, Concepción's partner was seen in his car around 11am. The emergency services were at the scene at 1pm.

Concepción's body was removed from the house around 6pm. The autopsy is being carried out at the institute of legal medicine (IML) in Malaga. The results will determine the exact cause of death.

The two had moved to live with the victim's father only a few months before the incident. She was originally from Malaga. Although their neighbours didn't know them well, they told SUR that they had been shocked by the event. They had seen Concepción walk her dog together with her father and had also seen them, alongside the suspect, having a drink at the local bar. "On Sunday, the father and the young man were sitting at a table around 7pm," the owner of the bar said.

The suspect is being held in police custody, awaiting trial.

According to government sources in Malaga, Concepción, as a victim, and her partner, as an abuser, had previously been in the VioGen system for the protection of gender-based violence victims and the monitoring of cases in connection with former partners. Their case, however, was inactive at the time of her death.

Central government representative for Malaga province Javier Salas condemned the crime on Wednesday and expressed his condolences to Concepción's family and loved ones. "We cannot tolerate this new scourge in our society. We must redouble all efforts to ensure that awareness of gender-based violence is permanently rooted in our society, and the main tool to combat it is education and the eradication of messages that deny gender-based violence," he said.

Campillos mayor Daniel Gómez also expressed "the strongest condemnation and absolute repulsion" at the murder. "We have lost Concepción to the cruelest and most unacceptable violence. Nothing can justify such an atrocious act," he said on his social media. The town hall also issued a statement to recognise gender-based violence as "a violation of human rights, a structural problem that challenges us as a society and requires the unity of all institutions, political parties and residents".

The town hall has re-confirmed "its commitment to continue working to prevent, detect and combat any form of violence against women". "We reiterate the importance of collaboration between administrations, comprehensive care and protection for victims and the strengthening of public policies that promote equality and the eradication of this scourge."

The municipality has decreed three days of official mourning. It also suspended official activities and events scheduled for Wednesday and called residents to a concentration with a minute's silence at 12pm on Thursday.

This is the second case of gender-based violence in Malaga province in just a few days. On Saturday, 22 November, 60-year-old María Victoria from Rincón de la Victoria was stabbed to death by her ex-husband, who is already in custody. According to the testimonies gathered in the area that day, they were a separated couple, but she visited him because she was worried about his condition, as he was under psychiatric treatment.

On 3 September, 83-year-old Eva was murdered at her home in Marbella, presumably by her husband, who reportedly stabbed her at least five times. When the police arrived, they could only verify her death.

The previous crime, the third of 2025, took place in Fuengirola, where 43-year-old Zunilda was reportedly beaten to death by her partner, who then took his own life by stabbing himself at the flat they were renting. This incident happened on 18 June.

Just a few days earlier, on 7 June, the emergency services found the body of Pilar, 53, on wasteland in Marbella. The suspect turned himself in at the National Police station.

The first recorded fatal victim of gender-based violence in the province this year was Catalina, although Benalmádena's residents used to call her Lina. The 48-year-old victim was the mother of four children. Her ex-partner killed her at her home on 9 February. According to SUR, he hit her with a brass knuckle and then strangled her in front of one of the young children. Afterwards, he set fire to the property to mask it as an accident.

Lina was the only victim who had reported her abuser. She had done so just 20 days before the crime. The court refused to grant her a restraining order because the police, or rather VioGen's algorithm, deemed her to be at "medium risk".