THE former boyfriend of a woman found decapitated in the sea has confessed to killing her and dumping her body, cops say.
He took part in a chilling police reconstruction on a popular beach in Marbella, appearing to show officers the moment he hit his victim over the head.
The headless body of the 46-year-old woman was found floating off a Costa del Sol bay on Sunday after a group of youngsters on a restaurant terrace spotted her body.
Her hands had been cut off, and police originally speculated that she could have been a drugs mule because her stomach had also been ripped open.
But earlier this week it emerged an ex-boyfriend had been arrested and police later detained a second man, described as a friend.
After the prime suspect was taken in for questioning, police confirmed a 45-year-old man confessed he murdered his ex before dismembering her and throwing her body into the sea.
Cops also released pictures of a dramatic reconstruction, with the man on a beach in handcuffs appearing to demonstrate the moment he whacked his victim over the head.
It also featured police officers digging into the sand with shovels and inspecting a manhole cover for evidence.
The men arrested and the missing woman, whose identity now has to be confirmed through DNA tests despite the murder confession, are all Colombian.
The self-confessed killer dated the 46-year-old woman he has reportedly admitted to killing, named so far only as Natalia, for only five months before their split in November last year.
He was arrested on Monday for breaching a restraining order imposed on him after he allegedly threatened his ex and assaulted her, but now faces a murder charge following his confession.
The woman’s body was found off a beach by a popular fish and seafood restaurant called Restaurante Club 200 a short drive from the popular resort of Marbella, between two areas known as Cabopino and Elviria.
The alarm was raised by a group of youngsters on the restaurant terrace around 5pm on Sunday afternoon after they spotted something floating in the water and thought at first it was a person who was drowning.
Spain’s National Police, confirming the arrests and murder confession, said in a statement: “National Police officers have resolved the murder of a woman found dead and mutilated in the sea in the municipality of Marbella.
“Two people have been arrested who are allegedly involved in the crime.
“The first of those is the ex-partner of the victim, held as the suspected material author of the crime. He has confessed his involvement.
“The second is a friend who allegedly took the other man and the victim to the place where the homicide took place.
“The main suspect admitted to the crime at a police station before being handed over to the judiciary in the face of the evidence directly incriminating him.
“In the last few hours National Police officers have carried out a reconstruction of the crime on a beach in Marbella where the man responsible confessed to having ended his ex-girlfriend’s life and thrown her body into the sea.”
Police also revealed they have seized in Madrid the vehicle allegedly used by the friend to take the pair to the murder scene.
Searches have also taken place at the separate homes of the self-confessed killer and his girlfriend.
Civil Guard officers were mobilised to deal with the body find following Sunday’s gruesome discovery and National Police officers, part of a separate force to the Civil Guard, investigated the disappearance of the woman thrown into the sea and made the two arrests.
A National police spokesman added: “The investigation began on Sunday as a result of a report made at a police station into the disappearance of a woman who had been the victim of domestic violence.
“Her family said she had received threats days earlier from her ex-partner who had breached a court restraining order following his arrest in December for mistreatment.
“Some hours later the mutilated body of a woman with similar physical characteristics to the missing woman was found off a Marbella beach.
“Her ex-partner was arrested on the morning of January 9, initially for breaching the restraining order.
“The man and his ex-girlfriend had dated for five months and the woman decided to end the relationship in November which is when the problems began.
“She had reported him to police for mistreatment after ending the relationship.”
