Victoria Hart, 33, a hairdresser living in the Andalusian town of Alhaurín el Grande, was found fatally wounded beside a knife on Saturday morning. Her 11-year-old son reportedly ran from the house to raise the alarm, while her six-year-old twin daughters were also present at the time of the attack.
Neighbours alerted police after hearing screams shortly before midday. Witnesses said the children fled into a communal garden asking for help, with the eldest boy allegedly calling his grandmother to say his father had killed his mother.
A man identified as Hart’s estranged husband has been arrested on suspicion of murder. The suspect, Juan Antonio Rueda, who reportedly runs a rotisserie business in the town, is said to have handed himself in at a nearby prison, telling staff he had “done something very bad”.
Local media reported that he told prison officials that the children were inside the house at the time of the killing, adding that he had “lost his mind”.
Hart, who ran a beauty business from her home, had lived in Spain since her teenage years alongside her mother and sister. She met her husband in 2011 and married him in 2017. The couple had three children together but were said to have separated several months ago.
Residents claimed there had been a restraining order in place preventing the man from approaching Hart, although he reportedly maintained contact with his children and occasionally collected them from the house.
Spanish authorities confirmed that Hart was registered on the country’s VioGen domestic violence monitoring system, though her case was reportedly classified as low risk.
One local resident said neighbours heard an argument before Hart ran into the street bleeding and then returned inside the house, where she later died. “It’s a small town and the expat community is close. Everyone is devastated,” the resident said.
Alhaurín el Grande town council declared a day of mourning, condemning the killing as an act of gender-based violence and expressing solidarity with the victim’s family. Women’s rights groups have also organised a protest in Málaga city calling for stronger protections against domestic abuse.
Spain’s Civil Guard confirmed that an investigation is ongoing and that Hart’s former partner remains in custody as the prime suspect.
Friends described Hart as a kind, hardworking mother who was rebuilding her life and looking forward to the future. Tributes have poured in online, with one friend saying her life was “robbed” at a moment when she was happy and focused on protecting her children.
