In an incredible case of greed and cruelty, Carmen Marín Aguilar, founder and ex-president of an animal shelter in Málaga, Spain, has been found guilty of incorrectly and illegally euthanizing, and ultimately killing, over 2,000 healthy cats and dogs for financial gain. She and her accomplice, Felipe Barco Gómez, have been ordered to serve time in jail and pay a number of fines.
An investigation into non-profit animal shelter Torremolinos’ Animal Park revealed that between 2008 and 2010, Marín Aguilar and Felipe Barco Gómez illegally administered low doses of a euthanization drug, Dolethal, to at least 2,183 cats and dogs.
“In almost half of Spanish homes, we live with dogs and cats. These dogs and cats aren’t just things, they are our family, our friends,” said Citizens’ Councilor Ángeles Vergara Follana, speaking before the local government to support further investigation into the case. “Every time we read in some form of communication an article about Animal Park, it’s been like reading a horror novel in chapters, one of those horror novels that stays etched in the mind and later appears in our worst nightmares.”
Shelter founder euthanized animals without proper training
Vergara Follana was not exaggerating. The grizzly case came to light in November 2010 after three inspections revealed the unsettling actions and a veterinarian at the shelter came forward, claiming that Marín Aguilar ordered the animal executions.
Dogs and cats at Animal Park died a slow, painful death
The Spanish paper El País reports that Marín Aguilar purposefully gave the animals a low dose of Dolethal, which caused a “slow” and “painful and prolonged” death, as the judge wrote in the sentencing. The judge went on to explain that Marín Aguilar and Barco Gómez knew that they were causing the animals pain and suffering because of the “screams, howls or meows,” which they covered up by murdering the animals very early in the morning, turning off the cameras in the shelter, and blasting music over the megaphones.
Marín Aguilar didn’t just cause the animals suffering by giving them low doses of the drug; she also administered it incorrectly. Normally, veterinarians euthanize animals by injecting the dose directly into a vein. Marín Aguilar, however, injected the animals in their muscles.
Marín Aguilar killed healthy animals for financial gain
Why would anyone do such a horrific and cruel thing? According to the courts, Marín Aguilar was motivated by financial reasons.
Routinely killing the animals allowed her to create more space to take in more animals. According to El País, she charged €60 for each adult dog, €45 for a puppy, and €25 or €30 for a cat. Marín Aguilar earned significant amounts of money through the killing of thousands of animals, and by stealing from the non-profit shelter. It’s estimated that she spent nearly a million dollars on things completely unrelated to the shelter, including international travel, high class hotels, and spa treatments.
The sentencing shows that Marín Aguilar did not discriminate between animals or based on age, or the amount of time they had been at the shelter. There was evidence that she even killed two healthy puppies the same day they were surrendered to Animal Park.
According to initial reporting by El País, Marín Aguilar claimed she was innocent, saying she had a “phobia” of injections and that she was “an animal lover.” The evidence against her, however, was quite clear. Aside from testimony from veterinarians at the shelter and the inspections, the shelter was purchasing 25 times more of the euthanasia drug that a normal veterinary clinic would consume given the time frame.
Spanish court orders Marín Aguilar to start her jail time
Marín Aguilar was originally tried and condemned by the Audiencia Provincial de Málaga on January 14th. After further investigation into Marín Aguilar’s actions in October, the 14th Penal Court of Málaga has now ordered her to begin her sentence.
According to a local news site, Málaga Hoy, she was found guilty of various counts and received sentences and/or penalties for each:
- One year in prison for the continuous mistreatment of animals
- Three years and 9 months in prison and a €9,000 fine for falsification of documents
- A fine of €10.800 for intrusion, the practice of administering a controlled substance without proper qualification
In total, the court sentenced Carmen Marín Aguilar to 3 years and 9 months in jail and fined her €19800, or about $23,000. Her accomplice, Barco Gómez was sentenced to one year in jail and fined €3,600, or about $4,200.
Spain just recently started enforcing animal cruelty laws
This is only one of a handful of times anyone in Spain has been sentenced to jail for animal cruelty. Until recently, Spanish laws had few consequence for animal abusers. In a country notorious for bull running and bullfighting, it wasn’t until 2015 that the first person in Spain’s history was sent to jail for animal cruelty after killing his race horse.
Thankfully, Spain is moving in the right direction, but more work needs to be done. Only one year of Marín Aguilar’s sentence is for animal cruelty; the rest of her time will be served for falsification of documents and administering the euthanasia drugs without proper certification. Given just how many healthy animals she needlessly killed and tortured, a one-year sentence for mistreatment seems light.
Still, many countries are realizing the need for stricter punishments. England just increased animal cruelty sentences tenfold, so perpetrators may spend up to five years in prison. Seeing cases like Marín Aguilar’s, hopefully Spanish citizens will realize tougher sentences are necessary in their country, as well.

This jerk lady must be treated as she treated these animals…after a long jail time & heavy fines
Aunque me parese poca la condena por algo se empieza ….tienen que hacer valer las leyes porque esto terminara siendo un caos de muerte y dolor para los que amamos a los animales parese que todo el mundo salvo algunos pocos quieren hacer desapareser a todos los animales del planeta cuando ellos existen porque Dios los creo y se reproducen por culpa de los humanos que no saben valorar a estos animales
what a wicked woman. most of the animals she killed probably would have found happy and loving homes with proper kind people and given love and loyalty in return to their family. Money is the route of all evil.
HELL AWAITS THESE KILLERS SOON NOW.
Karma you freaking contaminated maggott!!! Hope you rot in hell for what you did to all of those helpless defenseless animals.
Look at the photo of her, the Face of a Killer!
this bitch needs to be hanged for what she did. or rather, have her die a slow painful death like she did to those poor innocent animals.
This piece of shit wanted spa treatments????????
With that face????????
They should be euthanize!!
Animal killers must be jailed they are sick!
i hope you get your just deserves in jail i hope you die a painful death
This bitch needs to be put to death.I am ready,willing and able to help conduct this required procedure.An eye for an eye is indeed required.This bitch must pay big-time!!!! Prison is not adequate.
Pity they don’t feel the same way towards Bulls and the Galgos Hunting dogs. If ever two industries needed to be shut down, it is those. The violence shown towards bulls, horses and the poor galgos dogs is absolutely disgusting! SHAME ON SPAIN, SHAME ON SPAIN!
My heart is so heavy and I cannot stop crying. I have so much empathy for cruelty to children and animals that I find living in this cruel world very painful to live amongst such monsters in our society. I call myself a Christian and love our God but I find it so hard that he lets these things happen to living and breathing innocent children and animals.
Well, well. This is a great improvement in how the courts view animal cruelty in Spain. It’s not a long sentence, unfortunately, but I respectfully hope that monsters like this heartless woman rot in jail.
This is so wrong
And what is stopping all the online and news venues from discontinuing the use of the PERPETRATORS’ own words (that they use to make it look like they’re doing something good) ?
These are NOT “shelters,” and such killing is execution, NOT “euthanasia.”
This is progress – in that the dog and cat murderers have been jailed – but the sentence and fines seem so weak that will they really deter any animal abusers? Spain is certainly one of the cruellest nations and no animal welfare laws. The bull fighting and the torture and massacre of hunting dogs are examples of medieval barbarity which goes unchecked throughout Spain. Horrific is the only word for the Spanish nation’s brutality!!!
They are soul-destroying, evil murderers. Doesn’t matter how long ago it happened, they slowly killed cats & dogs. These two should have served longer in prison for that alone. The fines can’t help those innocents that suffered in agony. Spain needs to up their game on all animal cruelty !!!!
One year for the aninal charges is simply not enough. Should be at least 10 years for both of them. Better yet give them both a slow painful euthanization. Glad to see that Spain is taking steps towards prosecuting people who are cruel to animals. More work is needed though.
Totally agree with this.
Prosecute to the full extent. Obviously these heartless soulless devil people should not be near animals.
prosecute !!!!!
The bitch! I hope she gets punished properly in prison. Unbelievable! May all her victims rest in peace.
YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
This should not have happened obviously Spain’s needs to review their animal shelter policies (which I understand they are trying to do.) Marin Aguiler should NEVER be allowed to be around animals ever again. Take care
What a wicked witch! I hope she never comes out of prison. Those poor animals will never get their lives back and she can rot in jail as her accomplice and think about what she has done.
Greedy pair deserve to die in prison and never see freedom again.