In Madrid, the Madrid County Court handed down a 22-year prison sentence to two teenagers for a deadly assault that shocked the Moncloa-Aravaca district. The proceeding centered on the murder of a 23-year-old Chinese student who was killed after being stabbed nine times during a violent robbery in an alley in Madrid. The sentence, reported by Europa Press, reflects the court’s determination that the defendants were criminally liable for murder while also facing charges of violent robbery, a verdict that aligns with the nature of the crime and the circumstances surrounding it.
According to the ruling, Adele R. and Charles M., both accused in the case, were identified as the lone perpetrators of the fatal attack, with the court treating them as adults for the purposes of criminal liability despite the involvement of an underage accomplice from AARC. The judges concluded that the actions of the defendants went beyond mere intent, meeting the criteria for murder given the deliberate plan to seize the victim’s belongings and the evident recklessness that placed the victim in grave danger. The case underscores how the legal system weighs intent, method, and outcome when determining liability for a violent homicide and related robbery charges.
The events unfolded on January 18, 2020, when the two defendants, accompanied by the underage companion, approached a passerby on Holy Guardian Angel Boulevard in the Moncloa-Aravaca area of Madrid. The court documents describe one defendant as carrying a machete and the other a butterfly knife, tools that escalated the confrontation into a lethal encounter. The attackers reportedly demanded the victim’s possessions and, with the intention to end his life or at least to recognize that their actions could likely result in death, assaulted him at close quarters, inflicting nine stab wounds to various parts of the body. They then took possession of the victim’s iPhone 8 and an Apple Watch, and fled the scene in a hurried manner, leaving behind a crime that would reverberate through the community and the justice system alike.
The victim died early on January 19, 2020, with the hospital confirmation arriving at 00:03 hours, a timeline that amplified the urgency of the investigation and the subsequent legal proceedings. In response, both defendants have remained in custody since March 11, 2020, while the judicial process moved through the courts to determine guilt and appropriate sentencing. The entire case, as outlined in the sentence accessed by Europa Press, illustrates how violent crime intertwined with theft is treated in the Spanish penal system and highlights the role of the judiciary in delivering verdicts that reflect both the severity of the offense and the broader implications for public safety in the capital region.