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A man from Italy has been sentenced for 24 years to prison in Torremolinos, in what is one of the most shocking crimes that Malaga has seen in recent times.
This comes as Marco R (identified as the suspect) awaits his second trial in the horrific killing of an ex-partner whose corpse was found behind a wall.
The 48-year old expat was found guilty of stabbing Paula, his 28-year-old partner, 16 times between 2023 and 2024.
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A popular jury delivered a unanimous guilty verdict for him on March 13 for murder, with aggravating circumstances of gender violence and kinship. They also convicted him for a secondary conviction in habitual abuse.
The court heard how the killer lured Paula—the mother of his child—into a deadly and calculated trap.
He falsely claimed that he was leaving their apartment in Torremolinos’ El Calvario neighborhood so that she would return. This gave him the opportunity to surprise her with an attack.
During the trial the Italian national made a desperate defence, claiming that the fatal stabbing incident was an accident.
He testified that Paula had tried to attack him with a knife and fell onto the blade during a struggle — a version of events the jury entirely rejected.
But the sentence of 24 years is only the beginning.
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Marco is still waiting for a second court trial to be held in connection with one of the most horrific crimes committed on the Costa del Sol, the murdering of his ex-partner Sibora.
The 22-year old woman of Albanian descent vanished without a traces, sparking an unsolved mystery that lasted for nearly a decade.
Marco is accused of falsely telling her mother that they were planning to return to Italy and had been doing well.
It was not until Marco’s arrest, nine years after Paula’s disappearance, that her grim fate became known.
The investigators went to the apartment in El Calvario, assuming the worst.
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Police found Sibora’s remains hidden behind a false wall in an attic. Her body was stuffed into a large drawer that served as a coffin. A bouquet of flowers rested on her chest.
Marco’s violent history against women was documented well before Paula’s tragic death.
VIOGEN is Spain’s database of domestic violence. He was registered as a repeat abuser.
He is also facing a conviction for a second murder case in 2024, which will result in a prison sentence of nine months. This time the abuse was directed at a romantic partner.
The second trial has not yet been scheduled, but prosecutors previously stated that they would seek up to 50-years in prison for his long list of crimes.
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