Woman murders husband in Benalmadena home

Costa del Sol

BENALMADENA - A 48-YEAR-OLD British woman who is accused of killing her husband in the early hours of Monday morning has been sent to prison on remand. She was heard by a judge at Examining Court number 4 in Torremolinos, who was also given reports by the National Police, which suggest that she may have killed the 57-year-old victim, identified as David Cornell from Sunderland.

The couple lived in the Edificio Altavista, on the Torremuelle Urbanization of Benalmadena.

One deep stab wound which severed an artery close to his heart caused him to bleed out within minutes.

His wife Michelle, also from Sunderland, ran out of the house dressed only in her underwear, with a towel around her, barefoot and covered in blood. She began to shout for help and neighbours called the police. The man’s body was found naked in a pool of blood in the corridor inside the house, and paramedics were only able to certify his death.

When the police first arrived, the woman said that three people had broken into the home and attacked her husband. However, they found a kitchen knife covered in blood in the sink.

She was in shock, and changed her story when she was taken to the police station in Torremolinos, where she claimed that she had been suffering abuse at the hands of her husband for several years. However, since they have been in Spain there have been no reports of this, and police are checking with the British authorities. She was taken to a health centre and was found to have bruising to the arms, legs and stomach, which possibly came from being beaten.

She claimed that they argued on Sunday night, and she told him she wanted a divorce, took off her ring and threw it at him. He then allegedly became violent and she claims he attempted to strangle her, which is when, she says, she stabbed him.

There was a trail of blood throughout the house, from the corridor to the bedroom, as well as bloody prints throughout the house and the entrance to the apartment block.

However, police are also investigating the possibility that she may have killed him in his sleep.

They had been married for 18 years and had no children. In the UK, he worked in car sales and rentals, and they frequently came on holiday to the Costa del Sol where they finally decided to buy an apartment in Torremuelle in April 2009. Neighbours said that the victim drank quite a lot and the couple argued frequently. Apparently they had recently said that they planned to sell up and return to the UK.

According to British press, Mr Cornell was an ex-guitarist with rock band Barkin' Billy and the Scrapyard Dogs, and the couple’s former neighbours reported they had a volatile relationship and police had been called to disputes at their home.