Spanish Court Upholds 26-Year Sentence for Man Who Murdered Ex-Wife in Front of Children

The High Court rejected the appeal filed by the defense lawyer, Javier Vilarrubí, who had requested a reduced sentence on the grounds that his client suffered from mental disorders. It confirmed the judgment rendered in March by the Superior Court of Justice of Aragon (TSJA) which had endorsed the sentence handed down by the Provincial Court of Huesca almost a year ago, after a popular jury found the defendant guilty of murder and crimes of domestic violence against his children. In addition to the custodial sentences, Abdelkader Abid Allah Ben Moussa had been ordered to pay 140,000 euros to each of his children, as well as 55,000 euros to the victim’s parents and 22,000 euros to her two brothers, recalls Heraldo.

The Supreme Court recalled that the TSJA had already ruled that the defendant was in full possession of his faculties at the time of the facts and was perfectly aware of his acts and their consequences, as attested by the expert reports, including that of the psychologist, as well as other documents which "prove that it was a premeditated act executed with coldness and indifference". The high court also validated the "cruelty" of the murder, noted by the TSJA and the Provincial Court of Huesca, stressing that the 12 stab wounds inflicted on the victim "were not necessary to cause death" and that she "did not really have the possibility to defend herself", since the defendant was stronger and had attacked her by surprise.