Yzabelle Bostyn
A MAN has been sentenced to 19 and a half years in prison for murdering and decapitating his ex-girlfriend- sparking outrage amongst locals.
Malaga Provincial Court handed down the judgement for premeditated murder on November 6.
Leonel H was found guilty of killing his former girlfriend, Natalia on January 8 2023, after breaking a restraining order against him.
Leonel strangled the victim from behind on Real Zaragoza beach, removed her head and hands to prevent identification and threw her body into the sea.
In the days preceding the murder, he accosted the victim with calls and messages despite a restraining order against him.
The treatment was so intense that Natalia confided in her family that she felt ‘attacked’ by her former boyfriend.
That morning, 8 January 2023, he asked a friend to hire a van and take him to the religious centre where he knew he would find the victim, whom he approached in the street.
He put her in the vehicle and both got out in the Pinomar car park, before driving to the beach.
There they had sexual relations, which were consensual according to the sentence.
He then killed her by strangling her from behind before amputating both her head and hands to prevent identification.
After that, he made a deep cut in her abdomen and threw her into the sea, hoping her body would sink and with it, any evidence of the crime.
The judge stated Leonel clearly ‘didn’t respect women’, given the various reports against him and previous convictions.
He confessed to the crime and collaborated with the police after his arrest.
