Vicky is Malaga's second gender-based violence fatal victim in 2026

Gender-based violence

Vicky is Malaga's second gender-based violence fatal victim in 2026

Both the victim and the suspect, who allegedly took his own life, were loved by everyone in the Palma-Palmilla district where they lived

Añádenos en Google The National Police in the area in Malaga's Palma-Palmilla district where Victoria and her husband Francisco lived. (Ñito Salas)

Irene Quirante and María José Díaz Alcalá

05/06/2026 a las 15:31h.

Victoria (Vicky) has become the second fatal victim of a suspected gender-based violence crime in Malaga province this year. According to the initial investigation, her husband Francisco, 56, first shot her and then took his own life early on Friday morning.

Shock has gripped the Palma-Palmilla district, where the bodies were discovered. Residents in the area knew Victoria and Francisco well. The couple had been living there for decades, raising their two children and establishing strong bonds with their neighbours.

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"She was a wonderful woman," Vicky's neighbours said. "I saw her just yesterday and was joking around with her," one of them said.

They described Victoria as a hard-working woman, who cleaned and cared for the elderly. She also worked at a local fishmonger's. She had two children with her husband and three grandchildren, to whom she was very attached. "She worked in the mornings and dedicated her afternoons to her home and family," locals said.

Vicky was also president of the homeowners' association in her building. Until relatively recently, she would spend hours trying to tidy up the building's facilities and tending to the communal plants. "She was always the one who got things done, she was always there. We have no idea what might have happened," the victim's neighbours said.

By 9am on Friday, dozens of people, including family members, had gathered near the building where the couple lived. "What happened?" neighbours would ask after seeing the police. Upon hearing about the incident, they would cover their faces in disbelief. "It can't be, it can't be," they all said.

According to them, Francisco had never been violent with anyone, not even with the victim, at least not in the presence of other residents. "He was in treatment for a long time because he was 'unwell' due to mental health disorders. It's true that in the last year he noticeably declined, but he was never aggressive. Nobody would have expected this," they said.

A relative of Francisco's asked the media not to present him as a "bad person". He said that both Francisco and Vicky were "liked by everyone". Other residents agreed with him. "They were two pleasant, respectful people," they said, adding that they had never seen or heard the couple fight.