Female teacher ‘raped and murdered by neighbour two months after he was freed for killing another woman’
A FEMALE teacher was allegedly raped and murdered by a neighbour just two months after his release from jail for the murder of another woman.
Convicted killer Bernardo Montoya, 53, appeared on trial in Huelva, Spain, on Monday, accused of torturing Laura Luelmo, 26, before killing her with a blow to the head with a rock.
The woman’s horrifying ordeal happened in 2018, when the 26-year-old from Zamora moved to El Campillo, near Seville to work as an art teacher, report the Times.
Luelmo, who had previously complained to her boyfriend about her next-door neighbour staring at her, was allegedly attacked on December 12, 2018, when she was coming home from the supermarket.
Montoya had just moved in the area after serving time in prison for killing an 82-year-old woman after robbing her house, El Mundo reports.
Prosecutors allege that he attacked the teacher and forced her into his home before hitting her multiple times with a stick.
He then allegedly tied her up and raped her before hitting her again with a “blunt object.”
According to the autopsy the woman had suffered at least 40 injuries all over her body.
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Montoya is accused of placing her body on the trunk of his car and driving to the nearby area Las Mimbreras to dump it.
Her disappearance sparked a frantic search and her body was eventually discovered five days later while Montoya was arrested in a nearby town.
Although he initially confessed to the killing he later tried to blame his ex-girlfriend.
He told cops he returned to the scene and discovered his victim still breathing so he hit her on the head with a rock.
The teacher’s case baffled investigators at first as Montoya’s identical twin brother Luciano appeared, who is also serving 18 years in prison for the murder of a woman.
Luelmo’s death sparked fury across the country with thousands of women protesting with the motto #WeAreAllLaura.
Montoya’s trial is expected to last this week while his lawyers attempt to reduce his sentence by submitting a medical test in a bid to prove impotence.
How you can get help
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, where you call 999 and press ‘55’ if you can’t safely speak.
- Always keep some money or a bank card on you, including change in case you need a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to move towards an exit if you are inside the house and get your phone in case you need to call for help.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other potential weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available every day from 10am-6pm or email helpline@womensaid.org.uk
SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.