True crime buffs will undoubtedly be tuning into Netflix on June 23rd for the streaming service's new documentary, Murder by the Coast.
The programme hones in on what is regarded as one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in Spanish history, which took place when Maria Dolores Vázquez was wrongly convicted of murdering her ex-girlfriend's teenage daughter.
Rocío Wanninkhof was actually stabbed to death in 1999 by convicted British sex offender Tony Alexander King, but by the time this came to light, Vázquez had already served 17 months in prison.
Tragically, her conviction was largely down to the media frenzy that surrounded the trial, and the blatant homophobia within the Spanish press at the time.
Here's everything you need to know about Rocío Wanninkhof murder, ahead of Murder by the Coast.
Who was Rocío Wanninkhof?
Rocío Wanninkhof was born in 1979 to Willem Wanninkhof, a Dutch citizen, and his Spanish wife, Hilaria "Alicia" Hornos.
Her mother, Hornos, began a relationship with María Dolores Vázquez in 1982, while she was still married to Wanninhkhof — whom she claimed was a domestic abuser.
Following her 1983 divorce, Hornos kept legal custody of her three children and raised them with Vázquez.
Rocío's sister, Rosa, claimed that the children said that they had two mothers, and even signed their names with the surnames "Vázquez Hornos". And at the height of the ensuing media frenzy, she detailed that her own relationship with Vázquez was one of "affection".
Hornos and Vázquez ended their relationship in 1988, but continued to live together for some time afterwards. They remained on good terms until 1994 — when they reportedly had a dispute over the ownership of their shared home.
What happened to Rocío Wanninkhof?
On the night of October 9th, 1999, Wanninkhof — who was 19-years-old — said goodbye to her mother and sister at around 5:40 pm to go to her boyfriend's home in La Cala de Mijas, where she stayed until 9:30 pm.
According to her boyfriend, she left with the intention of showering and changing her clothes, before rejoining him and friends at a fair in Fuengirola late that evening. She made the trip alone, and on foot.
The following day, Wanninkhof's mother and sister contacted her boyfriend and friends — who had not seen her all night. During a walk Hornos took that day, she found a pair of running shoes, (which she identified as Wanninkhof's) a napkin, and several bloodstains, in a vacant parking lot next to the road used by her the night before.
A search began, though it quickly became apparent to the police that Wanninkhof had been murdered. A trail of blood was found near the sidewalk, which continued to a pool of blood large enough to have caused her death.
Wanninkhof's body was discovered on November 2nd. She had been stabbed nine times, and her remains were in an advanced state of decomposition.
What happened next?
Law enforcement was under pressure to find a suspect, and quickly started pointing fingers at Hornos' ex-girlfriend, Vázquez.
Per Euroweekly, police became suspicious of Vázquez as an eye-witness had noticed a red Toyota Celica around the area where Wanninkhof had last been seen, and Vázquez had the same model. Otherwise, there was no evidence to suggest that she was responsible for the murder.
In fact, much of Vázquez's supposed "guilt" was tied to her sexuality. At the time, homosexuality was not normalised in Spain, and her sexual preferences were used to paint her as a violent and calculating villain.
Prosecutors claimed that Vázquez had never liked Wanninkhof, and blamed her for the argument she had with Hornos in 1994. As a result, they said, she had been plotting revenge against the teenager for some time.
Speaking about the case, journalism professor Francesc Barata wrote in an essay: "Her private life was divulged, her cold personality was interpreted as calculating and unscrupulous, and her relationship with the victim's mother became the 'un-confessable' motive of her crime."
In 2014, her lawyer, Pedro Apalategui, revealed that there were almost no deliberations before her conviction — despite the total lack of evidence.
Finally, on October 7th, 2000, Vázquez was arrested for Wanninkhof's murder. She was sentenced to serve 15 years in prison.
Who was Sonia Carabantes?
In 2003, while Vázquez was awaiting her second trial, 17-year-old Sonia Carabantes disappeared in a very similar manner to Wanninkhof.
While investigating the eventual murder, local law enforcement discovered that DNA at the crime scene matched the DNA found on Wanninkhof's body. The DNA belonged to British sex offender Tony Alexander King, who had moved to Spain with his wife and daughter, several years prior.
King had changed his name, and had previously spent time behind bars for sexual crimes in England.
In 2005, King was convicted of the murder of Carabantes and sentenced to 36 years in prison, as well as an additional seven years for another sexual attack. The following year, and he was sentenced to a further 19 years for Wanninkhof's murder.
All charges against Vázquez were dropped — but by the time she was released, she had spent a total of 17 months in prison.
In 2013, she said she is waiting for an apology from Hornos — who still believes she was involved in her daughter's murder — over a decade on.
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