Man stabs wife to death in the Costa del Sol town of Benajarafe

A son of the victim was at home, and tried to stop the attack, when his mother was allegedly stabbed several times with a knife

IRENE QUIRANTE / SOFIA FERNANDEZ / JUAN CANO

Monday, 30 May 2022, 11:50

There was shock in the coastal town of Benajarafe, on the eastern stretch of the Costa del Sol, where in the early hours of Sunday a 50-year-old woman was allegedly stabbed to death by her 52-year-old husband.

Just a few hours after the crime, a brother of the victim told SUR, “This has been a sexist crime, a gender violence murder; let the whole world know.”

One of the couple's children, 21, was in the house when the incident happened. Apparently, the young man went to investigate after hearing screams and saw that his mother was bleeding from several stab wounds. He tried to intervene by grabbing his father and separating the couple, which gave the woman the opportunity to call the 112 Andalucía emergency service to warn that she was being attacked by her partner.

Four stab wounds

The victim received at least four stab wounds that hit her in the ear, legs and neck, the latter being the most serious. When police arrived at the scene they found the woman bleeding profusely, but she was still conscious. However, her heart stopped and they performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for more than twenty minutes, but they were unable to save her.

According to SUR sources consulted, the woman’s husband tried to take his own life. He supposedly tried to hang himself, but the rope snapped and he broke both ankles. The suspect was taken to hospital for treatment and then into police custody.

Gender violence incident in 2008

As confirmed by the Government delegate in Andalucía, the woman recorded she was a victim of gender violence, at the hands of her partner, in 2008. In fact, several restraining orders were imposed on the alleged attacker. However, the case had been inactive for more than ten years.

The deceased, SUR has learned, was the mother of five children – one of them a minor. The two oldest were the result of a previous marriage, while the three youngest she had with her current husband and her alleged murderer, with whom she began a relationship more than twenty years ago.