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Juan Cano
Malaga
Wednesday, 18 September 2024, 10:51
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Natalia, the 45-year-old Colombian woman who died at the hands of her partner in Marbella, was decapitated after having sex with her alleged killer, according to court documents.
The case, which sent shockwaves throughout Spain at the time, was opened after diners at a restaurant in Marbella spotted the body of the decapitated woman, also with no hands and a large cut in her abdomen, on the shore of the beach. The grim discovery took place on the evening of 8 January 2023 and gave rise to all kinds of speculation, including the possibility Natalia was a drug trafficking 'mule' who had been cut up to extract the stash, although forensic experts soon rejected this theory due to the nature of the injuries.
A video recorded by an eyewitness showing the body on the shore was then published by media outlets. Although the footage was blurred, a man thought he recognised his sister, Natalia M, who was missing. He phoned the police and told them Natalia had been in a relationship for approximately five months with another Colombian whom she ended up reporting for gender violence and who was sentenced to 16 months' imprisonment and prohibited from approaching or communicating with the victim.
National Police then arrested the Colombian man some hours later where he eventually confessed. Now, in addition to murder, the public prosecutor's office is also accusing him of breaching a sentence, and is asking for him to be jailed for 25 years and nine months. The private prosecution team, led by lawyer Ricardo Álvarez-Ossorio on behalf of Natalia's family, is asking for 26 years' imprisonment.
The public prosecutor's office considered Leonel H., also 45 years old when the incident happened, planned the crime "days before". It was a "surprise attack, from behind, without the possibility of Natalia defending herself", according to the indictment, seen by SUR.
In executing the "preconceived plan", on the morning of Sunday 8 January, Leonel asked a co-worker to rent a cargo van without windows. After picking it up, the two drove to a church where the alleged murderer knew he could find Natalia, as she attended worship there every Sunday.
At 12.30pm, according to the accusations, Leonel approached the victim, put her in the van in the loading area, where no one could see them, and the three of them drove to the Pinomar car park, where Leonel and Natalia got out. The friend of the alleged murderer then continued the journey in the direction of La Cañada, where he delivered the van at 1.11pm.
Leonel drove Natalia to the Playa Real de Zaragoza and, according to the investigation, they had sex among the dunes. However, after that, taking advantage of Natalia being crouched on the ground, he allegedly used the 'mataleón' technique, which consists of surprising victims from behind by passing their arm around their neck causing them to lose consciousness.
Then, using a very sharp-bladed box cutter which he carried with him "with the intention of using it in the murder", he allegedly decapitated Natalia and threw her head into the sea. He did the same with both hands after severing them at the wrists, although the waves washed them ashore some days later.
After that, he took off his clothes, finished undressing the victim's body and dragged the corpse across the sand and into the sea, where he made an incised wound in the abdomen to make the body sink. His intention was that it would never float and that it could not be identified.
Back on the beach, Leonel got dressed again and returned home. On the way back, he stopped to get rid of the box cutter, which he threw on the beach near the Faro de Marbella, as well as Natalia's clothes and belongings of his own, which he scattered in various rubbish bins.
The private prosecution has requested 150,000 euros in compensation for each of Natalia's two children. It also requested that, if he is convicted, the defendant should not be deported from Spain and serve his full sentence in the country where he committed the crime.
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