Mother-of-five slain at home
Police are holding boyfriend as main suspect
GUARDIA Civil officers have arrested the 34-year-old partner of Sheila, a 29-year-old mother of five children, after she was found dead with her throat slit in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Sheila and Jorge, both originally from Alcoy, had been together about a year living in a rural area of the small village of Planes. At the time of her death, Sheila had a three month old baby with Jorge, her other four children are all from previous relationships.
Jorge first declared that he had woken at 06.00 early Saturday morning on hearing their three-month-old baby crying, seeing Sheila wasn't by his side and the baby continued to cry, he got up and went down to attend to the baby, he found his girlfirend Sheila with her throat slit and a knife by her side.
Officers at first considered it could have been a suicide, but they kept all options open and continued investigating.
The house where the couple lived was in a remote rural location closer to Benimarfull than to Planes, and the only other house nearby is used for holiday purposes only, so there were no neighbours to question.
In fact, the people of the small village of Planes didn't know the couple at all, even though Jorge has been on the town's padrón (register), since 2011. Three weeks ago he applied to put the baby on the register. Sheila never registered as living in the town.
The autopsy report stated that Sheila had traumatic skull injuries incompatible with suicide hence the Guardia Civil quickly located and arrested Jorge.
Sheila, or Sheyla as she sometimes called herself, had originally studied art and design in Alcoy, before studying hairdressing.
She lived for many years in Calafell, Tarragona, with her four children attending a local school. While she lived there, she worked in nightclubs as a pole dancer using the stage name Wendy.
In Calafell, she had many friends who were shocked to learn of her death, saying she didn't have any problems with anyone while she lived there, before moving back to Alcoy and then to Planes with Jorge. Her four children remain in Cataluña under the care of social services.
Sheila had also apparently reported three of her previous boyfriends to the authorities for gender violence. Last autumn Sheila also reported the boss of a local bar she was working at for not paying her.
Acts to protest against gender violence were held on Tuesday in Planes and Alcoy, with regional president Ximo Puig participating in the minute's silence in front of Alicante town hall along with police and other politicians.
Sheila's funeral took place on Tuesday in Alcoy, with her family and many friends in attendance, some of whom could not come to grips with the fact that it was Jorge who killed her, saying he wasn't capable of such a crime.
Jorge is currently in custody waiting to appear before a judge in Alcoy court, and their baby is in the care of Valencian regional social services.