Laurence Dollimore
THE brutal killing of a woman in Benalmadena overnight has rocked the local community.
A Nigerian man has been arrested after allegedly murdering his spouse before setting fire to the two-floor family home, where she lived with their three young children and a fourth from a previous relationship.
The victim, 48, who is thought to have recently separated from the alleged killer, 42, lived on the ground floor, while her mother lived above on the second.
The horrific incident occurred at around 5.25am on Sunday after the alleged killer called the 112 emergency number himself to report a fire in the house, located in Benalmadena Pueblo.
According to reports, he did not tell officers that the property belonged to him or his family.
Video footage shared online showed the house completely engulfed in flames.
Policia Local were the first to arrive at the scene and were fortunately able to rescue the children.
However once the flames were extinguished, the woman’s body was discovered with ‘signs of violence’, leading to the husband’s arrest. He is also accused of assaulting the children.
This morning, dozens of grieving locals gathered in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas as a sign of respect and to show solidarity with the victim.
The Spanish woman had been with the husband for around 13 years and shared three children, consisting of an 11-year-old and two younger daughters.
