The victim of Can Pastilla tried to grab the knife before bleeding to death in a few minutes

PalmaThe victim of the sexist crime in Can Pastilla, María del Rosario, tried to defend herself from the attack that ended her life in December 2024 and died "in a matter of seconds or a few minutes" due to massive blood loss. This was explained this Wednesday at the Provincial Court of Palma by the forensic doctor who performed the autopsy of the body, in the jury trial being held for the woman's murder.

The doctor pointed out that the perpetrator used ferocious force during the assault. María del Rosario suffered up to 66 knife wounds to the head, torso, cervical area, and extremities. Five of these injuries especially affected internal structures, including the jugular vein and both lungs.

The lesions she presented on her arms are compatible, according to the coroner, with an attempt at defense. The examination of the corpse even suggests that the woman tried to grab the knife during the assault. The doctor also explained what the most likely sequence of events was based on the wounds. According to his reconstruction, the first injuries occurred on the front part of the body and, subsequently, when the victim was already immobile, the wounds on the back part were produced. Wednesday's session had to be interrupted for a few minutes on two occasions while the autopsy images were being shown. One of the members of the jury felt unwell and was finally excused from continuing to be part of it.

The eldest daughter lives with "fear, terror and panic"

A psychologist who treated the couple's eldest daughter after the crime explained to the court that the minor shows clear symptoms of trauma derived from exposure to episodes of gender-based violence, a situation that, according to the professional, was aggravated by the media exposure of the case.

During the sessions, the minor explained to her the episodes of violence she had witnessed and suffered, and which, furthermore, she had to keep silent about at her mother's instruction. The psychologist defined the scenario experienced by the minor as a context of "fear, terror, and panic".

"We can mitigate the damage, but it will be part of the story of her life," the professional stated before the jury. The psychologist also referred to the youngest daughter, who was inside the vehicle at the time of the murder. Although she cannot verbalize what she felt now, she explained that "there is a storage room" in the memory and that the trauma can remain registered and reappear when certain events activate connections to that experience.

Also in this case, she remarked, what happened will be part of her life story. "Is there anything worse than being told that your father murdered your mother?" the psychologist asked herself. During the interrogation, the prosecutor asked her if in cases like this it is advisable to keep the minors away from the paternal figure. "It's not that I advise it, it's that the eldest daughter requests it," she replied. As she explained, the minor refers to her father as "the stranger".

The witnesses found the body embedded in the front of the vehicle

The expert evidence arrives after it was also reconstructed during the trial what happened after the attack. Witnesses to the femicide explained that they found María del Rosario's body wedged in the front part of the vehicle after the accident that the accused ended up causing while driving with the woman's corpse inside the car. The Local Police initially intervened in the incident. The discovery of the body allowed the murder to be brought to light and preceded the arrest of the accused.

The trial, in the final stretch

The jury trial for the murder of María del Rosario continues this Wednesday at the Provincial Court of Palma with the presentation of expert evidence. It is expected that, at the end of the day, the parties will present their closing arguments before the court.

The case dates back to December 10, 2024. According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the accused convinced the victim to meet and drive together to pick up their minor daughter from preschool. Before leaving, the man allegedly asked the woman to leave her bracelet at home. After picking up the child, while driving along the Can Pastilla road, the accused allegedly pulled out a knife he had hidden in his clothes and attacked the woman, causing 66 wounds. The victim died inside the vehicle and, still according to the prosecution, the man continued driving with the body in the car until he had an accident. He was arrested shortly after. The accused faces a request of 27 years in prison for the events.