Envious Dutchman sees girlfriend ‘kissing with another’ and stabs her to death in Spain: 18 years in prison | News

The attack on the young Romanian mother took place in February 2020 and sent a shock wave through Moraira, a coastal town on the Costa Blanca. After the drama, residents took to the streets to observe a minute’s silence and to advocate better protection for vulnerable women. Domestic violence was also high on the political agenda in surrounding towns.

61-year-old Arthur K. had a drug history and was regularly aggressive and violent. The judge previously imposed an area ban on him after he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend. That apparently did not stop him from continuing to seek contact. The man told police that he had become jealous two days before the murder when he said he discovered that his girlfriend was talking to a man in a pub. “I saw Alina kissing another man in the pub and it wasn’t the first time she had done that. I approached her and told her I had had enough,” he told the judge.

Relatives have a different interpretation and state that K. regularly exhibits obsessive behavior. “There was a conflict at a party because Arthur didn’t like how Alina had dressed,” a sister-in-law told Spanish media. The Dutchman confronted his girlfriend about her ‘behavior’ and an argument ensued. He then suggested going to his office to talk the conflict out and make love.

According to the Public Prosecution Service, the former marine did not intend to make up with his girlfriend, but to kill her. An investigation revealed that she was stabbed from behind with a kitchen knife while on the toilet. The woman turned around and tried to defend herself, but the Dutchman stabbed her several times and then slit her throat. “I didn’t intend to kill her, but when I was in the bathroom she started saying bad things to me, that I was a bad man, and then my fuses blew.”

The body of 36-year-old Alina Mocanu was found a day later, wrapped in a sheet, in an underground rubbish container between the towns of Moraira and Teulada. Even before the Romanian woman could be identified, Arthur K. reported to the police and confessed to his atrocity.

In April 2022, K. was convicted at first instance and sentenced to 22 years and six months in prison. That sentence was reduced by four years after a higher court ruled that there was no murder of a cruel nature.

The case came to court for the third and last time this summer. The Supreme Court decided on Tuesday – just like the second judge – to impose a sentence of 18 years. K. can no longer appeal against this and will have to serve that sentence in full. That means he will be around 80 years old when he is released.

Arthur K. and his much younger girlfriend Alina Mocanu had known each other for just two years. The Romanian had a 14-year-old son from a previous relationship, who lived with his grandmother near Valencia. In June 2019, the couple’s neighbors called the police because of a violent argument, in which Alina was allegedly abused by K.

Despite the woman’s refusal to press charges, a judge specializing in domestic violence imposed protective measures. The Dutchman was banned from appearing within 300 meters of his girlfriend, but that was suspended when the woman again refused to make an incriminating statement during the October trial.

During the first session of the lawsuit, the Dutch real estate agent went through the dust. He realized that he had committed a very serious crime and he should never have done it. There is no excuse for ending someone’s life, he told the judge. His lawyer has already pleaded for a prison sentence of up to seventeen years, because his client expressed remorse and was prepared to pay the relatives a hefty compensation.