Spain: Tragic Series of Murders in Castellón Province Shakes the Region

Shocking events in the Valencian region began on Monday morning at a health center in Benicàssim. The 70-year-old assailant, identified as Vicente, burst into the facility and attacked his former partner, Ana María, who worked there as a nurse, with a knife. Despite immediate assistance from colleagues and subsequent transport to the Hospital General de Castellón, the 64-year-old woman died from her injuries. The perpetrator was subdued by patients and staff and then handed over to the Civil Guard. The couple had been in a relationship for six years before separating. Just a few hours later, on Tuesday, February 17, media reported another macabre discovery in the town of Xilxes. In a house located near a Local Police station, the bodies of a woman and her 12-year-old daughter were found. Both victims had their throats slit. Authorities received a report of a possible murder in the afternoon, and numerous bloodstains were secured at the scene. Investigators are examining possible family connections and motives for this double homicide, not ruling out any hypothesis, including domestic violence. Spain has for years implemented rigorous regulations to protect women from partner violence, based on the 2004 organic law, which has become a model for many European countries. The accumulation of such drastic acts of violence in such a short time has sparked a wave of outrage across the country. The Civil Guard officially confirmed that the man detained in the Benicàssim case will face justice on Wednesday. Meanwhile, in Xilxes, operational activities are ongoing to identify the perpetrator of the murder of the mother and child. Being placed at the court's disposal is crucial for the further course of proceedings. „The situation at the health center was dramatic; we tried to save our colleague with all available means.” — Emergency services representative Local authorities announced a period of mourning in a gesture of solidarity with the victims' families. Both events cast a shadow over the sense of security in the Castellón region, which rarely becomes the arena for such brutal criminal offenses. Liberal-leaning media emphasize the systemic failure to protect women from domestic violence despite existing regulations. | Conservative media focus on the severity of penalties for perpetrators and the need to strengthen personal protection in public places.