An Irish tourist arrested on suspicion of murdering his partner at their Spanish hotel was reportedly seen arguing with her before she was found dead.
The couple had spent “hours in a state of anger” according to sources quoted by respected Catalan newspaper El Periodico.
It also claimed the 30-year-old holidaymaker held after his 36-year-old partner’s violent death at the four-star Magnolia Hotel in the Costa Dorada resort of Salou 70 miles south of Barcelona, is refusing to cooperate with police and "slowed" attempts to contact the dead woman's next-of-kin by allegedly declining to give them any helpful information.
He is still at a police station in Tarragona and officers have until Wednesday to hand him over to an investigating judge for further questioning.
A well-placed source said on Tuesday morning it was “unlikely” he would appear in court today. The victim, described as a mother-of-two, is said to have been strangled with a ligature.
Police and other emergency responders found her dead in a second-floor corridor outside her hotel room after a 999 call from the hotel around 9.30pm on Sunday.
The man police have in custody was lying injured beside her with a wrist wound police detectives have described as “self-inflicted” he is thought to have sustained after cutting himself with glass.
He was transferred to a police station after being taken to a hospital in Tarragona and treated while under police guard.
Police statement
The regional Mossos d’Esquadra police force, which is investigating Sunday’s killing, has yet to comment officially since a statement released yesterday.
The statement said: “Officers from the Mossos d'Esquadra’s Criminal Investigation Decision in Tarragona have arrested a man allegedly related to the violent death of a woman in Salou on Sunday night.
“The events occurred around half past nine when the Mossos received a warning from a hotel in Salou saying a woman was seriously injured.
“When they arrived at the scene, the officers found a woman lying on the floor and a man next to her with a self-inflicted wound. Although emergency medical responders tried to revive the woman, they were finally only able to certify her death.
“Officers arrested the man as the alleged perpetrator of the death.”
Investigation
They went on to confirm the arrested man was 30, with sources close to the investigation later confirming both the woman and the detainee were Irish.
A minute’s silence was held for the unnamed victim on Monday evening at Salou Town Hall. Mayor Pere Granados and the regional government’s Minister for Equality Tania Verge were among those who took part.
Confirming the Salou killing was being treated as a gender-related crime, the department Tania heads said: “A new feminicide is confirmed in Salou.
“It is the seventh registered in Catalonia in 2023. We will not stop until we can all live free from male violence. If you need it ask for help.”
The 72-room Magnolia Hotel, which is one street back from the seafront, describes itself as a Four Star Superior hotel on its website.
It says: “Magnolia Hotel Salou is a specialised establishment offering an Adults Only or Child Free experience, meaning it is a hotel designed exclusively for adults.
“Our hotel in Salou is committed to offering a place where relaxation, peace and quiet are the most important values. So, both the hotel activities and facilities are geared towards the needs of adults travelling without children.
“Magnolia Hotel is a cosmopolitan, modern Adults Only establishment with carefully designed interiors that aims to offer guests a chic experience away from the hustle and bustle and noise of other types of hotels.”
By Gerard Couzens
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