Shivangi Sinha
In April 2015, Aniceto Rodríguez Caneiro called the police and reported that his wife, Isabel Fuentes, had been attacked at their home. When officers arrived, they found that she had sustained a serious head injury and needed to be rushed to the hospital. As the investigation continued, the circle of suspicion gradually drew closer to the person responsible. However, before the killer could be apprehended, they struck again, murdering Isabel while she was still in the hospital. Netflix’s ‘Unprotected: Murder in Galicia’ (originally titled ‘Desprotegida: El crimen de Pazos’) revisits the case, documenting the crime and the investigation that followed in detail.
Isabel Fuentes Was Killed a Year After She Got Married
Isabel Fuentes had spent most of her life in Verín, Spain, where she was surrounded by family and friends who loved and cared for her. She enjoyed her life and had largely lived as an independent woman. She worked as a shop assistant and at a haberdashery in the town. Although she was content with her life, friends and family observed that she had not had many romantic relationships over the years. That changed in 1989, when she met Aniceto Rodríguez, a widower who worked as a butcher. The two fell in love and remained together for nearly 25 years before finally getting married in 2014.
It marked the beginning of a new chapter in Isabel’s life, and she appeared to be happy in her new home in Pazos. On the night of November 2, 2015, Aniceto called the emergency services and reported that someone had attacked his wife. Friends and neighbors also rushed to the house, where they found Isabel still alive but seriously injured. She had sustained three hammer blows to the head and was taken to the hospital for treatment. Over the following days, she showed signs of recovery, blinking and communicating with hospital staff. She was eventually moved to the general ward. However, on May 8, 2015, Isabel died in the hospital after being stabbed multiple times.
The Killer Attacked Isabel Fuentes While She Was Recovering From Her Former Injuries
On April 2, 2015, when Aniceto Rodríguez Caneiro called the police, he told them that a robber had broken into the house. Investigators recovered a hammer from the crime scene, which they believed was the murder weapon. In the audio recording featured in the documentary, Aniceto said he had heard his wife scream and, when he came downstairs, found her lying injured. He also pointed out the broken door, claiming that the house had been targeted in a robbery. However, detectives soon noticed inconsistencies in his account. The fact that nothing had been stolen immediately stood out to them. Moreover, the manner in which the door had been broken suggested that this was not a burglary gone wrong.
Isabel was taken to a hospital in Ourense, where she underwent several neurological surgeries. According to Eduardo Novoa, the then head of the judicial police in Verín, investigators already believed that Aniceto was responsible for the attack. He said they were not concerned about Isabel’s safety while she was in the ICU and were treating the case as an instance of gender-based violence. The case had even been sealed, while Isabel continued to recover. Detectives later recalled that when the possibility of transferring her to a general ward was raised, they wanted her to remain in the ICU longer, where she could be kept under closer supervision.
However, the judge overseeing the case reportedly didn’t believe there was sufficient evidence to take further action. Family members described Aniceto as a devoted husband who would never harm his wife. According to the Civil Guard secretary, investigators repeatedly requested that restrictions be placed on his movements or that Isabel be kept in the ICU, but they claimed their requests were denied. She was eventually moved to the general ward, where friends and family came to visit her. Aniceto also spent long hours by his wife’s side. On May 8, 2015, he stabbed Isabel multiple times and injured himself with a knife. In 2017, he was convicted of attempted murder and murder. However, just a year later, in 2018, he died.
Read More: Stephany Flores Ramírez Murder Details and Investigation Timeline
You must be logged in to post a comment.