Two attacks on accused in lead-up to trial over double shooting in Marbella
A 35-year-old man accused of a crime in Marbella in 2019 suffered two attacks in less than 24 hours before his trial began. The proceedings were suspended without a new date being set.
Two attacks in a single day leave trial over 2019 Marbella crime in abeyance
One of the accused in a double shooting that occurred in November 2019 in Marbella was attacked twice in less than 24 hours, just as oral proceedings against him were about to commence. According to El Mundo, the man—aged 35 with Romanian nationality—ended up admitted to the Virgen de la Victoria university hospital with gunshot wounds to his ankle and back. The jury was discharged and proceedings were suspended with no date set for resumption.
Jury members were due to present themselves at the Málaga Courts of Justice early on Monday 13 April. Shortly after 6:00 in the morning, the accused was heading to a job interview when two individuals travelling on a scooter approached him and jabbed him with a syringe. A passer-by who witnessed the incident took him to emergency care.
The initial assault was not considered serious enough to suspend the hearing, so the court agreed to hold it the following day. However, on the night before the rescheduled date, two men on a motorcycle opened fire on the accused and fled. It was the second time on the same day that the man ended up in hospital.
It is the second occasion an attempt has been made on his life since he was charged in this case. The Provincial Court of Málaga has attempted to hold the trial on several occasions without success, most recently in April.
---
The November 2019 crime
On Friday 15 November 2019, shortly before 19:30, three individuals travelled in a Volkswagen Passat to a residence in the Alvarito Playa area in eastern Marbella, where two men of Moroccan origin, aged 66 and 55, were located.
According to the Public Prosecutor's indictment, the attackers acted pursuant to "a preconceived plan" to kill both men. One of the gunmen fired at point-blank range at the older of the two with a 38-millimetre revolver. The projectile entered below the collarbone and exited through the back, causing his death.
Almost simultaneously, the second gunman fired up to three times at the younger man. The projectiles struck him in the shoulder, in a leg and in the abdomen. The injuries, which were serious, required rehabilitation treatment in several hospitals over a period of 366 days.
A third accused, of Spanish origin, was not present at the time of the crime, but the Public Prosecutor contends that he met with the alleged perpetrators both before and after the murder "for the purpose of planning and killing" the victims.
---
Arrest in Romania and years of judicial delays
After the crime, the three individuals involved left the scene and travelled to Romania. They were arrested just three months later, as part of a joint police operation between Spain and Romania.
Investigations by the National Police led to the identification of two alleged perpetrators of the shooting and of the man who, according to the prosecution, orchestrated the operation. Since then, the judicial process has accumulated several postponements.
The case illustrates, according to El Mundo, the ruthless logic of organised crime: the Romanian accused, identified as one of the executors of the 2019 shooting, is now also a victim of attacks that appear to stem from that same environment. The circumstances suggest that someone within that world has an interest in preventing him from testifying before the court.
The connection between both parts of the case—the 2019 crime and the attacks in April 2025—has not been officially confirmed by the Public Prosecutor or the National Police. What is recorded in the judicial file is that the trial remains without a date and that one of its accused has been shot before being able to sit before the jury.
Source: El Mundo