Dolores Vázquez’s defense alleges that she was abused by Pedro Fernández, her murdered romantic partner
The three convicted of the crime of the Sabadell twins, which took place in 2019, have filed an appeal against the sentence that imposed prison sentences of 17, 16 and 20 years respectively. This is Isaac Gil, material author of the crime, his wife Pilar Vázquez, and the partner of the victim, Dolores Vázquez. The latter was convicted with an aggravating factor of kinship, since she was the romantic partner of Pedro Fernández, the man who was stabbed and burned in a field.
The family of Pedro Fernández, for its part, has asked that the prison sentence be increased to the maximum expected, of 25 years, for the three involved, since it considers that they acted with premeditation, treachery and cruelty. This is what the family’s lawyer explained in the appeal hearing that was held this Tuesday at the Barcelona Court. According to the lawyer, Dolores Vázquez was the instigator of the crime, Pilar Vázquez was the necessary accomplice and Isaac Gil was the executor.
The Prosecutor’s Office asked for 24 years in prison for each of the convicts, but the court reduced their sentence
The Prosecutor’s Office requested 24 years in prison for Isaac Gil and Pilar Vázquez, and 24 and a half years for Dolores Vázquez, but the court considered that there was not enough evidence to apply the maximum penalty. Thus, he sentenced Isaac Gil to 17 years, Pilar Vázquez to 16 years and Dolores Vázquez to 20 years, for the crime of murder with the aggravation of kinship with regard to the latter. The court took into account in mitigation the confession of Isaac Gil, who admitted that he was the one who stabbed and burned Pedro Fernández, but said he did it out of fear of his wife, who threatened him with a gun
Dolores Vázquez’s lawyer claims that her client was a victim of gender-based violence by the victim
The lawyer of Dolores Vázquez has asked that the sentence be annulled and that her client be acquitted, since she maintains that the woman was a victim of gender violence by Pedro Fernández, and that this was the reason for which he wanted to end his life. The lawyer recalled that Dolores Vázquez called 112 three months before the crime, asking for help because her partner was mistreating her, but when the police arrived, she denied the facts and did not file a complaint. The lawyer has affirmed that this attitude is characteristic of women who suffer gender violence and who are afraid of reprisals from their aggressors. In addition, he said that the other two convicts, Pilar Vázquez and Isaac Gil, corroborated that Dolores Vázquez suffered abuse, but that this point was not confirmed by a close friend of Pedro Fernández, nor by his ex-partner nor by the his daughter
The court of appeal of the TSJC must decide whether to maintain or modify the sentence
After hearing the arguments of the parties, the appeals room of the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJC) must decide whether to maintain or modify the sentence handed down by the Barcelona High Court. The decision will be known in the coming days. The crime of the Sabadell twins shocked the city and generated great social indignation, since it was a brutal murder with no apparent reason, which ended the life of a man who had two twin daughters of 11 years
