A Spanish court has sentenced a Pakistani national to 36 years in prison for the brutal murder of three elderly siblings in a case linked to a love scam debt dispute. The verdict has drawn attention across Europe due to the disturbing nature of the crime and its connection to online romance fraud.
The accused, Dilawar Hussain, was convicted by a jury in October 2025 for killing two sisters and their disabled brother at their home in Morata de Tajuna, near Madrid, in December 2023. According to the ruling, a Madrid court later imposed 12 years in prison for each murder, citing psychological alteration as a mitigating factor.
Hussain, who is 44 years old, later turned himself in to the police and admitted responsibility after the siblings’ partially burned bodies were discovered. Investigators found that the victims, all in their 70s, had been beaten to death, reportedly using a heavy object such as an iron bar.
During the trial, Hussain asked the court for forgiveness, claiming he had heard voices and was not in control of his actions at the time of the killings. Despite this claim, the jury found sufficient evidence to hold him fully responsible. Hussain has since filed an appeal against the sentence.
Spanish media reports and court findings revealed that the crime was rooted in a fake online romance scheme. The two sisters believed they were involved in long-distance relationships with US service members. They were allegedly manipulated into thinking one soldier had died, while the other needed money to access a multi-million euro inheritance.
As a result, the sisters accumulated heavy debts. Hussain, who was renting a room in their house, reportedly loaned them around $70,000, which was never repaid. Court documents state that frustration over the unpaid debt escalated into violence. Months before the fatal incident, Hussain had already attacked one of the sisters with a hammer, an offence for which he received a suspended sentence.
Adding to the gravity of the case, Hussain is now facing a separate trial over the alleged murder of his Bulgarian cellmate while in prison awaiting judgment for the siblings’ deaths. Spanish authorities say the legal process is ongoing.
