The man who murdered his ex-partner in Figueres was sentenced on Monday for assault
The assailant was subject to a restraining order, which he had breached two days earlier
Crime in broad daylight: he had a restraining order and was released hours before
A 48-year-old Spanish national stabbed his ex-partner to death in Josep Tarradellas square in Figueres on Tuesday, in broad daylight and in front of numerous witnesses. The victim, a 33-year-old transgender woman of Honduran origin, suffered several stab wounds to the chest that proved fatal, according to La Vanguardia.
The assailant was subject to a restraining order that he had breached twice in the hours immediately preceding the crime. Most recently on Monday, when he was arrested for striking the victim. That same morning, the Catalan High Court of Justice (TSJC) had held a summary trial for a previous instance of abuse: the defendant accepted a sentence of six months in prison and a restraining order of 250 metres with no contact for one year and four months. However, that same day he was arrested again for alleged assault on the same woman and was ultimately released. The victim had been summoned for a forensic examination on Tuesday, an appointment she did not attend.
According to witnesses, the assailant entered a nearby petrol station "looking calm" approximately ten minutes before the crime. Upon leaving, he allegedly went to his residence on Sant Roc street—just metres from the square—to obtain a kitchen knife, with which he inflicted the fatal stab wounds. The weapon was found beneath one of the vehicles parked in the square, where forensic police worked for several hours.
Several neighbours who witnessed the incident confronted the assailant after the attack and managed to restrain him despite the resistance he offered. The Mossos d'Esquadra and the Figueres Municipal Guard proceeded to arrest him. In videos circulated on social media, it can be seen how, immediately after the crime, the detainee calmly approached a fountain to wash his arms, which were covered in blood.
The Criminal Investigation Division (DIC) of the Mossos d'Esquadra has opened an investigation to clarify the circumstances of the assault. The case is under judicial secrecy. The investigating judge at Figueres District Court has recused himself in favour of the court specialising in violence against women.
The mayor of Figueres, Jordi Masquef, acknowledged in statements to the media that "something had failed", in reference to the fact that police had recently arrested the assailant for breaching the restraining order. Masquef called for an end to "this scourge" and convened a minute of silence for Tuesday.
This crime brings the death toll from gender-based violence recorded in Spain so far in 2026 to 19 victims, and to 1,360 since 2003, according to data from the Government Delegation for Violence Against Women.
Source: La Vanguardia