After having sex in a Spanish murder trial, a British expat was convicted and sentenced to up to 25 years imprisonment.
Geoffrey Elton was a rich father-of-two who claimed to have suffered from a mental disorder. He fatally stabbed Gloria Tornay after trying unsuccessfully to strangle and choke her 17 times.
But a Spanish jury today ruled Elton was sane when he killed the headteacher at their £560,000 Costa del Sol home on March 9 2019 and convicted him of murder.
Elton also admitted that he was aware when he took Gloria’s 15-year old son Alonso Tornay out of the house. This was in a deliberate effort to prevent Alonso from calling emergency services.
Geoffrey Elton was a rich father-of-2 and was found guilty of the murder of Gloria Tornay (3 photos together).
Elton was watching impassively as the jury foreman read out the unanimous murder verdict. Elton, his sons, and Gloria, his emotional five siblings, said: “Geoffrey Elton surprised her victim in their house which was a place she felt safe and increased her suffering by stabbing 17 times over the course of one hour.
The jury unanimously found that he was aware of all he did and impeded the arrival of emergency personnel by throwing three mobile phones out of his family home, locking the front doors after closing them on his son, as well as bolting and cutting off the electricity so that the entire house was dark.
Elton confessed to the murder of his wife on Monday at Malaga court.
The jury concluded that his mental disorder had been fabricated or exaggerated and determined it was proven the victim demanded a divorce prior to the March 9, 2019 murder. It is possible the motive behind the murder might have been financial.
But a Spanish jury today ruled Elton was sane when he killed the headteacher at their £560,000 Costa del Sol home on March 9 2019 and convicted him of murder. Pictured Monday: Elton at Malaga’s court
Julio Angel Martinez Carazo (state prosecutor) stated before Elton’s trial that Elton wanted a 14 year sentence for murder. However, he increased his prison demand to 20 years in the wake of the shocking jury verdict.
He also indicated he wanted the dad-of-two to compensate Alonso, 15 at the time of the crime, and his elder brother Marcos with 100,000 euros (£84,000) each for the loss of their mother.
A private prosecutor acting for Gloria’s siblings said he was seeking a 25-year prison sentence and a total 450,000 euros (£378,000) compensation payment for them and the two sons.
Elton was asked by his defence lawyer to be allowed to serve his 20 year sentence in a secure mental hospital rather than in prison. After he is sent back to the UK, he will also be banned from going to Spain.
After taking the witness stand, the killer Brit admitted to the murder of his Spanish wife of 33-years at their Estepona home near Marbella house on Monday.
However, he maintained that he was not mad when he murdered her. He also told the court that they had sex before his attack.
After being convicted for murdering his wife, Elton (57) is now facing 25 years imprisonment. Pictured: Elton is arrested in 2019.
His 18-year old son Alonso, his oldest child, recalled the moment when he found blood on the ground of their family home. Also his mother was laying on her stomach after sustaining the first knife wound to the head.
Jurors were told by him that his father appeared in the room with a knife in his left hand. He claimed Gloria was injured and had thrown the phones out of the garden.
As Alonso tried to get back into his room with the drill and hammer that he had found in the shed, he recalled hearing his mother yell “Don’t harm the boy” from her bedroom.
‘I heard Mum shout as though she hadn’t ever shouted before. “I was screaming for help and my neighbor heard me so he called the police.
“They provided me with a thermal blanket because I was shocked and kept me out of harm’s way.
“It took them about 30 minutes just to open the front door, as it was reinforced.
“I witnessed my father come out of handcuffs. I was still in my blanket when police said that my mom had died.
Elton, who apologized in court yesterday/on Wednesday for his actions, was taken away by police after being sentenced.
Nicolas Tornay, Gloria’s brother, spoke outside the courthouse on behalf of his family. He said that while nothing will bring back my sister but some relief in knowing justice was done is enough.