Femicide in Artemisa: killer had already murdered another woman and served only half his sentence
Idania Castillo Sacre, 58, was murdered on 26 September in Taco Taco by her ex-partner, who had completed 15 of 31 years for a similar crime in 2010.
Repeat offender killer murdered his ex-partner in Artemisa after serving half of previous sentence
Idania Castillo Sacre, 58, was murdered on 26 September in Taco Taco, municipality of San Cristóbal, province of Artemisa, allegedly by her ex-partner. According to periodicocubano.com, the man was at liberty despite having been sentenced to 31 years in prison for murdering the mother of his children in 2010.
The Gender Observatory of Alas Tensas (OGAT) confirmed the femicide on Friday. According to the organisation, Idania was preaching in public as a Jehovah's Witness when the attacker intercepted her, took her to a dwelling and committed the crime. After the murder he attempted to take his own life, but survived and was placed in police custody.
The accused's criminal record is one of the most serious elements of the case. According to a statement by communicator Niover Licea cited by OGAT, the man had served approximately 15 years of his 31-year sentence, less than half of the imposed penalty, before regaining his freedom and reoffending.
Idania leaves three daughters and one son, all adults, as well as grandchildren and other family members. OGAT clarified that none of her children had any biological link to the alleged attacker.
A documented pattern of reoffending
OGAT had previously registered similar cases. In June 2024, Jessica Castillo, 32, was murdered in Pinar del Río by a man who had served seven years of a 20-year sentence for the femicide of an adolescent that occurred in 2011.
Idania's death brought the number of verified femicides in Cuba during 2026 to 56, according to the observatory's data. The organisation also records 27 attempted femicides and two murders of men linked to situations of feminicidal violence. The accumulated figure already exceeds the 49 cases documented during all of 2025 and equals the total registered in 2024. The highest figure reported by OGAT corresponds to 2023, with 90 femicides recorded.
Legal gaps that OGAT identifies as risk factors
The Cuban Penal Code in force since 2022 does not classify femicide as an independent crime, although it provides for aggravating circumstances within the crime of murder. Cuba also lacks a comprehensive law against gender-based violence nor a national network of shelters for women at risk.
In cases such as Idania's, OGAT demands more rigorous controls prior to the release of persons with a history of violence. The organisation maintains that "preventing new femicides requires a comprehensive law against violence towards women and girls, a national network of shelters and effective protective measures for women in situations of risk", alongside psychological evaluations and specific analysis of the risk of reoffending.
Source: Google News CU — Crime