“My wife was strangled by thorns.” The incident began in the early hours of July 13, 2020, when Emergency Services received a call from PN, a 37-year-old man of Romanian origin, from a warehouse in Torrejón de Ardoz.
Her name was Madalina, a 31-year-old woman. When the medical team arrived, she showed serious head injuries and was bleeding from the mouth and ear, with respiratory distress. Eyewitnesses described a couple living in a warehouse that served as the base for a shipping company, where a barbecue had taken place. It was alleged that Madalina was choking during dinner as events unfolded.
After an initial on-site assessment, she was transported to Torrejón de Ardoz University Hospital around four in the morning. Madalina was intubated, and the prognosis appeared grave. In the emergency room, clinicians found signs of a life-threatening condition. A skull fracture incompatible with survival was diagnosed, and she died two days later. At 19:50 on July 14, 2020, her life support in the intensive care unit ended.
The case quickly came to be described as a fatal incident of severe head trauma, though the investigation would scrutinize the circumstances surrounding it. An autopsy later concluded the cause of death as severe head trauma, with investigators noting that attempts to revive Madalina may have occurred during the events described by the defendant, who later claimed the act was a mistake while trying to save his partner.
PN was charged with homicide with an aggravating factor of kinship, and the popular jury trial was scheduled to begin in the Madrid region, Department 26. Prosecutors requested a 15-year prison sentence as part of the case.
A discussion
Sunday, July 12, 2020. The prosecutor’s office noted that Madalina and PN, described as sharing a relationship akin to marriage, resided in the same warehouse in Torrejón de Ardoz. According to the prosecutor, around 11 p.m. the couple left the ship and walked to the center of town for drinks. An argument reportedly erupted between them.
The prosecutor stated that on July 13, 2020, around 12:43 a.m., after a violent dispute, Madalina chose to return alone near the residence, arriving about 1:25 a.m. During this period PN allegedly called Madalina’s mobile 21 times without an answer; at 12:51 a.m. he sent a message translated as referencing kidnapping or harming. Additional calls followed, but Madalina did not answer, prompting PN to return to search for her.
A heavy blow to the head
The Public Ministry’s account continues: around 1:36 a.m., Madalina and the defendant were in the industrial area near the warehouse. Another confrontation occurred, described by authorities as a fight in which PN allegedly struck with a blunt object, intending to end her life. The impact caused Madalina to fall backward and strike the ground, producing a base skull fracture.
A witness’s account said Madalina, though alive, was being moved in the trunk of a car rather than on a seat.
At that moment Madalina’s condition remained critical. The prosecutor noted that after the attack, the defendant reportedly placed her alive inside the Opel Vivaro he drove, taking her back to the warehouse. A witness claimed Madalina was transported in the trunk rather than a passenger seat.
Inside the vehicle, the defendant allegedly removed the body, and a colleague present at the warehouse was asked to call Emergency Services. PN reportedly described a drowning or fishing scenario to the operator, but doctors treating Madalina confirmed a skull fracture incompatible with life, according to the prosecutor.
Defensive wounds
Madalina died two days later. The suspect was taken into custody as she fought for life in the Intensive Care Unit. Medical professionals reported to authorities that the incident did not unfold as PN had described. The autopsy supported the violent death diagnosis, documenting defensive wounds and injuries on her arms, with some marks attributed to the confrontation prior to the fatal outcome. Police also noted scratches on the defendant.
There were no signs of drowning or strangulation by other means. The death of a 31-year-old woman of Romanian origin was categorized within the framework of gender-based violence. The case, numbered 24 of 2020, was to be closed with additional cases in the region. PN, who remained in custody, entered temporary detention on July 15, 2020.