LLORET DE MAR – The Catalan police are continuing the investigation into the alleged crime in Lloret de Mar (Girona). A man, his wife, and their daughter were killed on Tuesday. The man was a Russian millionaire with a net worth of more than €400 million.
According to Spanish media, the 55-year-old man, who held a senior position in a gas distribution company, allegedly killed his wife and daughter with an axe while they were sleeping. He then committed suicide by hanging himself in the garden of their holiday home where they spent the Easter holidays.
Mossos d’Esquadra police officers are currently investigating computers, telephones, and other electronic equipment to learn more about the family drama. This is according to 20Minutos newspaper.
Son sounded the alarm
The couple’s sons raised the alarm from France after he was unable to contact his family. He had spoken with them Monday night and thought that the conversation had been strange. Consequently, the 22-year-old then contacted a business partner of his father. Therefore, the man went to the Russian´s house in the urbanization of Els Pinars de Lloret de Mar. On arriving, he saw from outside the body of the alleged perpetrator of the double crime, the Russian Sergey Protosenya.
Senior position at Russian gas company
According to Catalan media reports, the man had a net worth of more than €400 million and was known in Russia for his high position at gas distributor Novatek. Furthermore, Protosenya had held the position of vice-chairman on the board of directors at Novatek for over 7 years.
After a report from one of Protosenya’s employees, one of his partners contacted the local police. Patrols were then sent to the house. There they found the bodies of 53-year-old wife, Natalia, and 18-year-old daughter, Maria in their beds.
Police assume murder
The police assume murder as a bloody axe and knife were found at the scene of the crime. Therefore, Protosenya is the culprit for the time being, because his body was found hanging with a rope tied to a construction railing on a rock wall in the gardens.
Luxurious lifestyle of Russian millionaire
The couple, originally from Moscow, were registered in Lloret de Mar, as are about 2,500 other Russian citizens living in this city. Moreover, for years they spent a lot of time with their children in this house with a pool, tennis court, and a dozen high-end cars in the garage. However, the family officially lived in a city in southwestern France and often travelled to other countries.
Quiet family
The residents of Lloret de Mar told several media that they were “very polite” and that they “didn’t see anything strange in the Russian family”. Telecinco writes that the alleged killer had no previous complaints of gender-based violence and that to the outside world he lived a luxurious but quiet life.
Also read: Russian oligarchs assets in Catalonia
