Montserrat Gimeno, Andorra's Longest-Serving Female Prisoner, Dies by Suicide Post-Release

Montserrat Gimeno, who served the longest prison sentence ever imposed on a woman in Andorra, took her own life three months after her release last year.

The 67-year-old died on 18 November in a rented room in the Santa Magdalena neighbourhood of La Seu d'Urgell, Spain. Her body was discovered in the rundown flat, and while an autopsy was conducted to confirm the cause, those close to her expressed no doubt it was suicide. "She had no desire to live," said her sole friend, identified as I.H., who supported her throughout 15 years in prison and her brief time outside.

Gimeno had been convicted of murdering her husband in the summer of 2010. The Superior Court sentenced her to 20 years, but she served the maximum effective term of 15 under Andorran law before being released on 27 August from La Comella prison. Police handed her over to I.H. and her new lawyer, Emili Campos, at the border with just a bag and some documents.

Entering prison at age 52 with a comfortable life, she emerged in poor health, estranged from family and unable to remain in Andorra. Previously a cultured woman from a privileged background—her father a judge in Barcelona, her brother a specialist doctor—she had studied dance and ballet in Paris and taught it to children with intellectual disabilities in Andorra's hotels and sports facilities.

Her friend described ambitious post-release plans, including travel and opening a dance studio, but reality proved harsh. Gimeno cycled through temporary housing and social services-funded hotels before landing in the precarious Santa Magdalena room. I.H. alleged exploitation there: sudden rent hikes, demands for others' food costs, missing money and constant threats that gradually broke her spirit.

Gimeno always denied killing her husband, who was found after she reportedly learned of his affair with an Asian woman and his wish to separate. She claimed to have covered for a close relative instead. Her later lawyer highlighted inconsistencies, including her recent shoulder surgery limiting her strength against her 100kg, martial arts-trained husband; footprints not matching hers; no biological traces on his clothes; and letters suggesting another suspect whose alleged crime had prescribed.

Courts rejected appeals to reopen the case. In prison, under suicide watch from the start, Gimeno shared her story with journalists like Carles Porta and wrote letters to media, politicians and celebrities. Health issues mounted—digestive problems, skin conditions, frailty—and retirement from prison work deepened her despair. Family contact was minimal; I.H. was her only regular visitor.

She was buried simply in La Seu d'Urgell, her niche funded by friends, with no relatives present. The couple owned flats in Encamp and Canillo, one seized for community debts. Gimeno named I.H. her universal heir in a handwritten letter, but assets went to her two daughters, one adopted.