Octogenarian murdered in Marbella becomes fourth fatal victim of gender-based violence in Malaga province this year
The number of women whose lives have been taken by their partners or ex-partners has risen to 29 nationwide in Spain so far this year
Eva, 83, was the fourth victim of gender-based violence in Malaga province so far this year. National Police officers found her body in her Costa del Sol home after she received several stab wounds from a 20-centimetre-long machete, which her partner (and alleged murderer) had purchased. The incident happened on 3 October in Marbella.
According to central government's Malaga delegation against gender-based violence, there have been three precedents of such crimes in the province since the start of the year. The first victim was Catalina, known by everybody in Benalmádena as Lina, who was strangled to death by her husband of more than a decade - a Nigerian man called Augustine. The couple shared three minor children, all of which were present on 9 February, when Augustine killed their mother and set fire to the house. Lina had another child from a previous marriage.
On 7 June, Pilar's body was found by a Marbella security guard, who was doing a routine check-up of the area around the establishment. Pilar, 53, was located in a field behind a petrol station in the Las Chapas district. She had multiple injuries on her face. Some of her belongings, including a pair of broken glasses, were found next to her body. Once again, the main suspect is her partner.
In June, 43-year-old Zunilda from Colombia was found dead in a rented flat in Fuengirola. She had been killed with a hammer by her partner Jarred, 48 and of American origin. According to the investigation, after killing her, Jarred had stabbed himself to death.
With Eva's murder, the death toll of gender-based violence in Spain as a whole, with two months left until the end of 2025, is 29. Since 2003, which is the year when data on this sort of crime was first collected, there have been 1,324 fatal victims.
Minister for equality Ana Redondo García and delegate Carmen Martínez Perza have fervently denounced the most recent crime and expressed their "support" to the victim's family and friends. Both have urged all "institutions, administrations and society as a whole" to make efforts to "prevent more deaths".
Sub-delegate Javier Salas joined their call to "continue fighting against gender-based violence". According to Salas, domestic violence constitutes a type of crime that "some political parties try to justify".
Helplines
The 016 phone number attends to all victims of gender-based violence, 24 hours a day and in 52 different languages. Those who find themselves under even the slightest threat are encouraged to call or email 016-online@igualdad.gob.es. Attention is also provided by WhatsApp (600000016), while minors can contact the Anar foundation (900 20 20 10). The regional government of Andalucía also provides 24-hour assistance to women on 900 200 999.
However, in an emergency situation, you can call 112, or the National Police on 091 and the Guardia Civil (062). If it is impossible to make a call, you can use the AlertCops app, which sends an alert signal with the location to the police.
