On Good Friday, two women were killed in Barranquilla

So far this year, six femicides have occurred in Atlántico

Miles de personas marchan en Santiago (Chile), en contra de la violencia machista, en una fotografía de archivo. EFE/Elvis González

In the last 24 hours, in Barranquilla, two women were murdered violently, sparking the concern and indignation of the city's inhabitants. The first case was reported in the morning, when in the village of La Playa the lifeless body of a 30-year-old woman, identified as Albanis Del Carmen Báez, was found by the community.

According to the preliminary report of the authorities, the residents of the deceased said that the woman had a strong argument with her romantic partner, who apparently took a knife and attacked the woman until she took her life. Although the woman was eventually transferred to a medical center, where health professionals confirmed her death.

Ana Baez, the victim's sister, told Caracol Radio that “they started arguing and he took a knife and assaulted her. She suffers from anemia and she couldn't bear the wound and died.” For his part, the alleged femicide was captured and taken to the URI of the Prosecutor's Office for prosecution; the authorities indicated that the man already had court records for personal injuries in 2010. General Luis Carlos Hernández, commander of the Barranquilla Police, explained that “this subject will be brought before the competent authority for the crime of aggravated femicide.”

The woman was originally from Maracaibo, Zulia state in Venezuela, and the romantic partner who would be responsible for her death was identified as José Antonio Martínez Viloria, 44, a native of Sincelejo, Sucre. According to local media, the discussion took place because the woman sent her five children to see the biological father; children aged 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 were left without their mother.

To El Heraldo, the sister added that “he had previously hit her and they had left each other in December, they lasted a month apart and returned on the 31st of that month because he insisted, and she was a person who let herself go” and noted that those who witnessed the fight pointed out that Martinez said “don't get involved because I have the devil and if she takes you too.”

Hours later, in the metropolitan area of Barranquilla, a woman was killed with a firearm. The events took place in the Altos de Belén neighborhood, where they found the victim who was identified as Aurora Sánchez Bauza, 34 years old.

Authorities stated that, in this case, the woman was intercepted by armed men on a motorcycle, who shot her five times. According to witnesses, Sanchez was wearing a black sweater, blue jeans and carrying a small pink bag. After the attack, the woman was left with a disfigured face in the face of bullet wounds.

With these cases of femicide in the last 24 hours, so far this year there have been six cases of femicide in the department of Atlántico. At the end of March, the death of Yasli Carolina Ortega Bastida, who was also stabbed by her romantic partner after a fight, was reported in the Las Americas neighborhood. For this femicide, William Hernando Molina Soto, the victim's romantic partner, was captured.

According to testimonies from relatives, neighbors and witnesses, the man constantly abused the 26-year-old woman and repeatedly threatened her with death. The last assault he received ended his life while his children watched the scene and did not stop crying when they saw how their father murdered their mother.

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