A high-profile trial has concluded in Malaga in a murder case that shocked the local community. A young man, who was 22 at the time of the crime, has been found guilty of brutally killing his foster mother. The court sentenced him to 27 years and one month in prison.
The tragedy unfolded in the spring of 2022. Along with an underage accomplice, the convicted man broke into the woman’s house with the intent to rob her. They demanded her bank card PIN, and when she refused, they tied her up and gagged her. The foster son then strangled the woman with a rope. After consciously committing the murder, he and his accomplice hid the body in a freezer, carefully cleaned up any evidence, and left the apartment, taking cash with them.
A few days later, the perpetrators moved the body to a storage room trunk inside the building. Another day or two passed before they wrapped the remains in a black bag, placed it in a supermarket cart, and transported it to a sewer manhole in the Teatinos district in northern Malaga. There, the body was hidden eight meters deep.
Investigation and arrest
The woman’s family raised the alarm when she stopped answering calls. A missing persons report was filed with the police on May 23—ironically, the killer himself and a relative went to the station to file it. He insisted the woman had left for Barcelona to visit friends, misleading investigators and hindering the search.
While police and volunteers searched for the missing woman, the perpetrator continued to hide the truth. It wasn’t until two months later, in July, that law enforcement officers discovered her body in a sewer shaft. After that, the adoptive son was arrested and soon brought to trial.
Court Ruling and Aftermath
During the trial, the defendant admitted his guilt and apologized, but the court did not consider his remorse significant. The jury unanimously found him guilty of murder, violent robbery, and desecration of the body. In addition to a lengthy prison sentence, he was ordered to pay compensation to the mother of the victim and her relatives.
During the proceedings, the role of two women who knew about the crime and advised concealing it was also examined. However, the court found no criminal intent in their actions and acquitted them. The underage accomplice had previously been sentenced to eight years in a correctional facility.
