Brazilian woman killed by partner in Barcelona in front of her four and eight-year-old children
A 34-year-old woman died from stab wounds at her home in the Sant Martí district. The alleged attacker fled and set his vehicle on fire and remains at large.
Stabbed in her Sant Martí home whilst her children witnessed it
A 34-year-old woman of Brazilian nationality was killed on Monday afternoon at the home she shared with her partner at street number 102 Carrer d'Andrade in the Sant Martí district of Barcelona, according to La Vanguardia. The crime was committed in front of the couple's two minor children, aged four and eight. The victim is said to have been stabbed.
The Mossos d'Esquadra received the alert at 19:47 and, upon arrival at the scene, found the woman seriously injured. A medicalised ambulance from the System of Medical Emergencies (SEM) performed resuscitation manoeuvres without success. Emergency services later confirmed her death.
Alleged attacker sets his vehicle on fire and flees on foot
The alleged murderer managed to leave the area before officers arrived. He then set fire to the white Ford in which he was travelling on Carrer de Palència, at the level of Carrer d'Espronceda. The Mossos d'Esquadra launched a search operation together with the Guardia Urbana and other local police forces in the Barcelona metropolitan area.
At press time, the suspect — described as a man with a shaved head and dressed in blue — remained at large. According to initial investigations, after setting the vehicle on fire, he is believed to have continued his escape on foot. Investigators questioned those close to the couple, who had been living in Barcelona for several years, to locate possible acquaintances to whom the suspect might have asked for help.
Witnesses and evangelical community under investigation focus
Officers from the Catalan police took statements during the night from several possible witnesses in the vicinity of the home. At the same location, technicians from the Social Emergencies Service of the Barcelona City Council provided assistance to members of the evangelical community to which the couple belonged.
Some neighbours in the same building noted that it was common to see the couple "very well dressed every Sunday heading to the hall where evangelical masses were held".
Gender-based violence deaths reach 32 so far this year
If the case is confirmed as a femicide, the victim would be the thirty-second woman to have died from gender-based violence in Spain so far this year, and the third in Catalonia. Since 2003, the cumulative total would amount to 1,373 women.
Source: La Vanguardia