Moroccan Man Sentenced to 26 Years for Murdering Ex-Wife in Front of Children in Spain

The Provincial Court of Huesca had sentenced Abdelkader BM to 26 years in prison and his defense, represented by the lawyer Javier Vilarrubí, appealed to the High Court of Justice of Aragon to request a reduced sentence for mental disorders. The 51-year-old defendant of Moroccan origin stabbed to death his ex-wife, also of Moroccan origin, Hassna A., in front of their children aged 13, 6 and 1 on June 30, 2021 in Barbastro, reports Heraldo, specifying that the defendant can appeal to the Supreme Court.

The jury of the Provincial Court had unanimously recognized the guilt of the Moroccan on November 3 last for murder with aggravating circumstances of cruelty and betrayal, and for two crimes of domestic violence and against minor children. For the jury, the defendant acted in full possession of his mental faculties. The verdict of the Provincial Court is "motivated, sufficiently developed, clear and exhaustive", confirmed the High Court of Aragon, specifying that the defendant "had the intention of killing his ex-wife", given the coldness and indifference with which he committed the act.

The defense blames the jury for not taking into account the psychiatric condition of the defendant who, according to her, suffers from mental disorders. The High Court, taking stock of the psychiatric care the defendant has received since 2018, concluded that "this does not necessarily mean that he lacks the capacity to understand and decide". Consequently, the High Court of Aragon decided to confirm the sentence of the Provincial Court of Huesca, considering that the defendant "deliberately and inhumanly increased the victim’s pain by inflicting up to 12 stab wounds on her" and that the sudden nature of the act did not give the victim any possibility of defending herself.