Murcia has been rocked by the brazen and brutal murder of a mother-of-one inside a shopping centre.
Juan Bautista G.C., 38, has been arrested for allegedly slitting his ex-wife Gloria’s throat inside a shoe repair shop at the Carrefour Infante commercial centre on Tuesday.
The suspect was arrested shortly after midnight on Wednesday in Puerto Lumbreras, near the Andalucia border, while allegedly attempting to flee by bus to Granada.
It has since emerged that he had admitted assaulting Gloria just four months earlier and was subject to a restraining order at the time of the killing.
He was convicted of domestic abuse against Gloria on April 15 after admitting to pushing her to the ground during an argument and threatening to take custody of their five-year-old daughter.
According to sources cited by La Opinion de Murcia, Gloria had called police on the morning of April 14 after reporting that her ex-partner had arrived at her home, assaulted her and taken her mobile phone.
She told officers he repeatedly rang her doorbell before verbally abusing her, calling her a ‘whore’ and shouting: ‘You’re not looking after our daughter. I’m going to do everything I can to take her away from you.’
Police say he then pushed her to the floor before grabbing her phone and leaving.
Victim had warned police she feared him
Gloria also told officers it was not the first time she had been attacked by her former partner.
She claimed that just a week earlier he had grabbed her by the neck and said she feared he could seriously harm her.
Paramedics treated her at the scene before taking her to Murcia’s Reina Sofia Hospital after she was suspected of suffering a hip injury from the fall.
Later that day, the suspect handed himself in at a local police station.
He admitted there had been a struggle, acknowledged insulting Gloria and threatening to take custody of their daughter, telling officers he had wanted to ‘solve the problem’ and distance himself from his ex-partner.
The following day he accepted a conviction for domestic abuse in a plea agreement before a Murcia court.
His sentence included a 16-month restraining order, banning him from coming within 500 metres of Gloria, her home or workplace, as well as any form of contact.
He was also ordered to complete 40 days of community service and pay the victim €310 in compensation.
Allegedly told colleague: ‘I’ve killed my wife’
Despite the restraining order remaining in force, investigators believe Juan Bautista returned to the shoe repair shop where he worked inside the Carrefour Infante shopping centre on Tuesday and fatally attacked Gloria.
She was found inside the premises with a fatal neck wound.
According to Spanish reports, the suspect warned a colleague not to enter the shop, allegedly saying: ‘Don’t go inside. I’ve killed my wife.’
Emergency crews and Policia Nacional officers rushed to the scene, but paramedics were only able to confirm Gloria’s death.
Specialist homicide detectives, forensic officers and the Family and Women’s Unit (UFAM) launched a murder investigation.
The suspect fled immediately after the attack but was tracked down and arrested just hours later in Puerto Lumbreras as he allegedly tried to leave the Murcia region.
The couple’s five-year-old daughter has now been placed under the provisional guardianship of the Murcia regional government.
