A 48-year-old woman has died in Callosa de Segura, Alicante, in what authorities are investigating as a suspected case of gender-based violence.
The woman’s husband, also 48, has been arrested after reportedly going to the Civil Guard station in the town and confessing that he had killed her following an argument.
According to the Civil Guard’s communications office in Alicante, the suspected homicide took place on Tuesday morning, June 2, at the property where the couple were believed to have lived together.
The Government Delegation against Gender Violence said on social media that it was gathering information on a possible femicide in the province of Alicante.
Both the victim and the suspect are Spanish nationals from Callosa de Segura. Police sources said there were no previous complaints between the couple. However, the man had reportedly been the subject of complaints involving two former partners, while the victim had previously appeared as a victim of violence in relation to another partner.
The suspect also had a criminal record for assault and robbery with intimidation.
The couple had no children together and no minors were living at the address.
The man has been taken into custody, and the investigation is being handled by the Civil Guard’s Women and Minors Team, known as EMUME.
Town Declares Three Days of Mourning
The killing has caused shock and sadness in Callosa de Segura.
The town’s mayor, Amparo Serrano, has signed a decree declaring three days of official mourning. A minute’s silence has also been called for 7.30pm outside the town hall.
If confirmed as a gender-based killing, the case would add to Spain’s official toll of women murdered by partners or former partners this year.
According to the latest figures cited by authorities, 22 women have been killed by partners or ex-partners so far this year. Since official records began in 2003, 1,363 women have been murdered in Spain in cases of gender-based violence.
