Murderer sentenced to 34 years for shooting man dead and seriously injuring the deceased's partner in Mijas

The main suspect in a 2016 crime has been sentenced to 34 years in prison for murdering a man, 46, and seriously injuring the deceased's partner, 26, at a petrol station in Mijas. The attack had been described as an ambush, but only one of the three defendants that appeared before the court was found guilty by the jury. The Supreme Court has made the sentence final, with no possibility of appeal.

The murder happened shortly after 4.15am on 19 August 2016, when the couple was picked up by a car and taken to the petrol station in the Calypso area of the Costa del Sol town. As soon as they got out of the car, those who had picked them up started to shoot them, having previously agreed to "end the life" of the victim for unknown reasons. The Colombian man was hit by bullets in the head, thorax and abdomen. He died immediately.

The woman survived, although she sustained several injuries to different parts of her body, which required surgery. In addition, she is still suffering the consequences of the incident with clear signs of a post-traumatic stress disorder.

The perpetrators fled the scene in the same car in which they had picked up and driven the couple and then set fire to it in a bid to eliminate any evidence.

Two of the defendants were acquitted after the jury decided that their participation in the crime could not be proven. However, the main suspect was sentenced to 34 years in prison. He appealed to the High Court of Justice of Andalucía (TSJA), claiming that he had been in the Netherlands on the date of the incident. The appeal was rejected, once by the TSJA and then by Spain's Supreme Court.

The defendant will have to serve the full sentence for the crime of murder, another of attempted murder and a third crime of unlawful possession of weapons. In addition, he will have to compensate the heirs of the deceased (150,000 euros) and the injured partner (50,000 euros).