A public jury in Tenerife concluded a trial this week by finding a man guilty of murder in connection with the death of his wife last May in Los Cristianos, located on the south coast of Tenerife. The verdict asserted the act was carried out with treachery before the defendant had a chance to defend himself.
The court cited aggravating factors, including gender-based violence, in reaching its decision.
Witnesses described the moment when the woman, already on the ground in the afternoon, was confronted by her husband as he first attacked her with scissors, inflicting multiple non-fatal injuries to the neck. The sequence unfolded further as she moved toward the kitchen, seized a large knife, and, while attempting to close the door against her husband, sought refuge on the porch in a vain effort. The knife then caused seven fatal wounds to the chest and lungs.
The charges called for a total sentence of 22 years in prison, plus 10 years of probation and €100,000 in financial restitution, though the defense argued for €112,000 per daughter and a lighter sentence for the accused. The prosecutor had urged the court to accept that the act was treacherous and also a case of gender violence, which the jury duly endorsed.
The case also involved a potential liability over funds deposited with the court, with prosecutors suggesting that €86,000 might be attributable if it was determined the money was not given voluntarily but was ordered by the court.
The couple had been married for more than five decades and spent part of the year in Vigo and the rest in Los Cristianos, the scene of the crime. A neighbor upstairs witnessed part of the confrontation, noting the woman’s struggle to shut the patio door and recalling the husband, described as having an intimidating presence, entering the scene with a knife in hand. The neighbor attributed a history of loud outbursts to the defendant, which he attributed to chronic deafness during the ordeal.
Experts testified that the man suffered from a paranoid disorder with traits of narcissism, suspicion, insecurity, and misogyny, and a tendency toward violence. Nevertheless, the experts agreed these traits did not absolve him of responsibility or imply a lack of self-control during the acts.
Among the victims were two daughters who had endured years of tension and fear; one daughter had cut off contact with her mother for 21 years following the family crisis and only recently reconnected, driven by psychological support. The couple’s daughters had faced ongoing harassment and were subjected to insults from their father, compounded by a history of beatings and contempt.
One of the sons, a minor at the time, remained in frequent contact with his father, affected by the fear that the afternoon’s events might recur. The two sisters later described continued abuse and required police intervention; authorities were called almost daily, but the women initially refrained from filing complaints and were unable to gain entry to the home in those moments.
The victim endured years of panic, mental and physical abuse, endured as the family dynamics deteriorated. The daughters described their father as a menacing figure and a continuous source of harm. During testimony, the defendant denied stabbing the woman, admitting only to a single injury among the seven, insisting that all injuries resulted from a fall during a struggle on the porch. [Source: Court records; expert assessments and trial testimony summarized for the public record.]