Young son of murdered woman in Benalmádena contradicts his father in front of police: 'Dad, it's not true, you killed mum'

The investigation into the murder of 48-year-old Lina points to a background of jealousy. In January, her husband threatened her which is why she applied to the courts for a restraining order - which was denied - to prevent Augustine from approaching her

Juan Cano

Malaga

Wednesday, 12 February 2025, 10:27

The police investigation into the death of 48-year-old Lina, mother of four, in Benalmádena allegedly at the hands of her ex-partner has discovered a history of jealousy. When on 20 January a Local Police officer convinced her to file a complaint against her partner, Lina reported that Augustine, a 42-year-old man of Nigerian origin, had taken her phone away and had threatened to hit her. According to her account, her then husband had accused her of having an affair. However, the police assessed her level of risk as medium and only monitored the situation until her death on 9 February.

On the day of the murder, Local Police officers arrived at Calle Álamos 27 in Benalmádena after receiving a call from Augustine. It was around 5.25am and the only people they saw were Augustine and his eldest son, aged 11. The man explained to the officers that the house was on fire and that there was a woman inside, describing the fire as an accident. However, according to sources, the boy said: "Dad, that's not true, you killed mum."

Augustine had allegedly ended her life, before setting the house on fire, leaving her body inside. Sources stated that he did not check where the couple's two young daughters, 7 and 9, were. The girls were found at the entrance of the two-storey building and were taken out of the house by the police officers.

Before allegedly murdering his ex-wife, Augustine slept in the car. In the early hours of the morning, he drove up the road to what had been his home for the past 11 years. He apparrently hit Lina with his fist and then tried to suffocate her by hanging her from the ceiling, probably with the intention of framing it as a suicide. According to the investigation, he did not succeed and ended up strangling her in the presence of their eldest son, who tried to stop him.

After killing his wife and beating his son, Augustine placed several mattresses on top of the body of his ex-wife and set them on fire. Firefighters doused the flames and recovered Lina's body, which was first taken to a hospital where she was to be checked for internal injuries.

Augustine appeared in the 3rd court of violence against women in Malaga city on Tuesday 11 February. He claimed that he could not remember anything and that he had forgotten everything about the events. His lawyer requested that a forensic examination be carried out to determine whether his volitional and intellectual capacities are affected - in other words, to assess whether he suffers from some kind of disorder that might inhibit his ability to discern right from wrong. The prosecution accepted the request. In the meantime, Augustine is being held in custody.

The only record the police had of Lina's case prior to the murder was from 20 January, when an officer convinced her to file a complaint against Augustine, with whom she was in the process of separation. Augustine had seized her phone and threatened to hit her.

Spain's Viogen domestic violence system, which assesses the danger that a certain situation poses to victims by means of a series of questions interpreted by a computer algorithm and the people that operate it, considered Lina to be at "medium risk". The magistrate declined the restraining order requested by the prosecution, as contradictions were found in Lina's statement.

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