National Police officers in Burgos detained a 42-year-old man, a Spanish national, who is identified as the alleged perpetrator in the death of his partner, a 20-year-old Romanian woman.
The incident took place this afternoon at the couple’s address on Avenida del Cid, in the city capital, and was disclosed by the National Police in a statement issued on Saturday.
According to the police report, the woman contacted emergency services by dialing 112 at around 3:30 p.m. to report problems with her husband. It was the same detainee who himself called the emergency line requesting police assistance, claiming the woman was highly agitated and had locked herself in a room holding a knife.
When officers arrived, the woman had already died, and the man allegedly admitted to having hanged himself and then lowering the body to the floor, a claim that is part of the initial account under investigation.
Following initial statements from neighbors and the evidence collected at the scene, authorities arrested the man on suspicion of causing the woman’s death.
Police notes indicate that the detainee has a prior history of gender-based violence against a previous partner. The deceased is said to have been a victim in previous relationships; however, there were no formal complaints against the suspect on record prior to this incident.
The man remains in custody pending a court appearance.
If the facts are confirmed, this would mark the third fatality linked to gender-based violence in Castilla y León for the year, and the 62nd since records began in 2003. In Burgos city, twelve women have been killed by their current or former partners since 2003, with this case potentially representing the first of 2023.
If the figures hold, nationwide tallies would place the year’s victims at twenty-five, with a total of 1,209 women recorded as victims since the current data collection began.