Six years in prison for trying to hire a hitman

The Alicante Provincial Court has sentenced a man to six years in prison for offering 7,000 to 10,000 euros to acquaintances in exchange for the murder of his ex-partner in Torrevieja.

The defendant admitted the facts during his statement at the High Court trial yesterday, Monday 24th March, after reaching an agreement with the prosecution, granting a reduction in the initially requested sentence of 13 and a half years, despite the aggravating circumstance of family ties being applied.

Following the acknowledgement of the facts, the First Section court in charge of prosecuting the case announced an early verdict on the terms agreed upon by the prosecution and defence.

The actions in question occurred in June 2022, when the defendant promised four people between 7,000 and 10,000 euros to kill the woman he had been in a relationship with for six years in Torrevieja.

According to the prosecution, the defendant corresponded with the many persons he intended to pay to murder his wife via mobile messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram in order to maintain greater anonymity. During these chats, he offered half the money to the alleged hitmen before they committed the crime.

The defendant’s ex-partner and victim testified at the hearing, indicating that she learnt of the defendant’s plans from one of the individuals the defendant reportedly contacted.

“She told me she had become my friend so she could know where I was at all times and that she was paid for it,” she said just before the defendant used his right to the last word to apologise and that he was “very sorry.”

In addition to the prison sentence, the plea deal included a seven-year prohibition at a distance of more than 300 metres and the termination of parental rights over the defendant’s minor daughter, whom he shared with the victim.