Trial of Actor Luis Lorenzo: Accusations of Abuse Against Elderly Relative. A high-profile trial has begun in Madrid against Luis Lorenzo and his partner. They are accused of abusing his 85-year-old aunt. Witnesses reported a lack of food and restrictions imposed on the elderly woman.
A court case has begun in Madrid against actor Luis Lorenzo and his partner Arancha Palomino, who are accused of abuse and negligence towards the woman's 85-year-old aunt, who died in the summer of 2021. During the hearings, former caregivers testified about the harsh living conditions the elderly woman endured in the defendants' home: lack of food, inadequate clothing, and being unable to use a private bathroom. According to them, food in the house was reserved for the couple's children, while the woman slept in a child's bed and had only one change of clothes.
The caregivers also stated that Arancha Palomino forbade her aunt from using the household bathroom, forcing her to use a shared toilet in the garage. Witnesses said only her niece would give the elderly woman her medications, and the caregivers had no access to the medicine. Some of them noted that the defendants' children were aggressive towards their elderly relative, and attempts to protect her resulted in conflicts with the lady of the house.
The prosecution is seeking a six-year prison sentence for Luis Lorenzo and Arancha Palomino on charges of abuse and misappropriation of funds. The private prosecution is demanding a harsher sentence—more than ten years in prison—including charges of fraud, unlawful detention, and document forgery. The original murder charge was dropped after errors were found in the first expert report, which had suggested poisoning.
The case also involves the last caregiver who was with the woman at the time of her death. The prosecution is seeking two and a half years of imprisonment for her. Special attention was drawn to the episode when the elderly woman was left for eight hours at a VIPS café, where staff were forced to call the police due to her condition. According to employees, the relatives explained the delay by a technical problem with their car, but it was later revealed that they were at a birthday celebration in an amusement park.
The deceased's family from Asturias claim that before moving to Madrid, the woman was fully independent, managed her household, and sold goods at the market. Relatives state that her niece took her away without warning, after which they lost contact. Caregivers note that in the home of Lorenzo and Palomino, the elderly woman was almost completely deprived of autonomy and could not go outside without supervision.
Workers from elderly care agencies emphasize that working conditions in the defendants' home were extremely difficult: they were assigned to clean in unsanitary conditions, and the signing of employment contracts was constantly postponed. Some caregivers were forced to buy groceries and medicine at their own expense, and several left due to threats from the homeowner.
The trial drew attention to the issue of elderly care in private homes and potential abuse by relatives. In Spain, such cases are increasingly discussed in society, especially against the backdrop of a growing elderly population. For comparison, other regions of the country are also seeing high-profile cases involving family conflicts and inheritance—such as the restructuring of the football club from Oviedo, as previously reported in the article on russpain.com.
According to official data, in Spain the proportion of citizens over 65 years old exceeds 20%, which places additional pressure on the social support system. In recent years, authorities have tightened controls over the living conditions of the elderly, yet cases of abuse in private homes continue to be uncovered. The outcome of the trial against Luis Lorenzo and Arancha Palomino could set a precedent for similar cases in the future.
