A COLOMBIAN woman has been murdered by her ex-partner in Cordoba just one hour before a domestic violence hearing.
Grandmother Tulia Ester, 64, was killed on Monday morning outside her apartment. The murder happened shortly before she was due to appear in court following a complaint she had filed days earlier.
She was attacked with a machete by her ex-partner, a Spanish man who lived in the same building.
There had been no recent complaints of abuse until last weekend, when Ester reported being assaulted by him.
The man was arrested by the Policia Nacional on Saturday and a restraining order was put in place. He then moved to a relative’s house under police supervision.
Ester was also placed under police surveillance over the weekend, but on the morning of the hearing she declined an offer from her protection officer to accompany her to court.
Around 9am, emergency services were called to the building after reports of a knife attack. Officers arrived and found Ester dead on the landing outside her apartment.
After the attack, the man barricaded himself inside his flat and allegedly used pepper spray against officers. He was later arrested and has been taken to police headquarters.
The murder has been classed as a case of gender-based violence. It is also the first femicide in Cordoba since 2023, the fourth in Andalucia this year, and the 17th in Spain.
Click here to read more Crime & Law News from The Olive Press.
