An alleged double murderer accused of hiding his ex’s body inside a wall for nine years must remain in prison ahead of trial, a Malaga court has ruled.
Italian expat Marco R, was first sentenced to 24 years for the 2023 murder of his ex-partner Paula.
The 48-year-old is now facing a separate trial for the murder of Sibora Gagani, who vanished from Torremolinos in 2014.
Her body was not discovered until 2023, when it was found hidden behind a wall in the flat the couple had shared in the Costa del Sol town.
Although Marco R. has appealed his conviction for Paula’s murder and the sentence is not yet final, judges ruled he should remain in custody for up to half of the sentence imposed, equivalent to 12 years.
Judges cited the seriousness of the sentence and that he is a major flight risk, noting that he has no known economic, professional or family ties to Spain.
A preliminary hearing is due to take place on Wednesday, with the defendant expected to appear by videolink from prison in Huelva.
Prosecutors are seeking a further 22-year prison sentence for the murder of Sibora.
In a significant development, Marco R. has reportedly admitted for the first time in a defence filing that he killed Sibora inside the home they shared and later concealed her body.
Sibora’s remains were discovered in 2023 after police reopened inquiries while investigating Paula’s murder.
Officers found the 22-year-old’s body hidden behind a false wall inside a property in Torremolinos where the couple had once lived.
According to investigators, the remains were concealed inside a wooden box covered with lime. Police also recovered a bloodstained knife and a bouquet of flowers from the hiding place.
The discovery shocked Spain and transformed what had initially appeared to be a single murder investigation into one of the Costa del Sol’s most notorious suspected serial domestic violence cases.
Prosecutors say Marco R. met Sibora in the Italian town of Nettuno in 2009 when she was 18 years old. The couple later moved to Spain together in 2010.
The second murder case is expected to proceed to trial later this year.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
