Woman's faked twisted sex crime in gruesome murder of friend for cash

MARÍA ÁNGELES MOLINA, KNOWN AS ANGI, MURDERED HER FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE ANA PÁEZ AFTER A DECADE OF FRIENDSHIP, IN A CHILLING AND COLD-BLOODED CRIME THAT SHOCKED SPAIN 07:00, 22 May 2025 In

2008, the brutal murder of a fashion designer in a Barcelona flat sent shockwaves through Spain. The orchestrator of this chilling crime was a woman who hid her true identity behind false

names and fabricated lives, with a manipulative streak. María Ángeles Molina, also known as Angi, was found guilty of killing and exploiting Ana Páez. Molina had crafted an elaborate

fraud scheme involving fake identities, life insurance policies, and a complex web of deceit designed to ensnare Ana, a 35 year old fashion designer who believed she had found a friend and

mentor in Molina. The two had been acquainted for about 10 years, having met while working at the same firm. Molina portrayed herself as a successful businesswoman, cultured and generous,

showering Ana with praise. Unbeknownst to Ana, Angi had a dark plan to steal her identity - and ultimately, her life. On 19 February 2008, Ana was found dead in a rented flat in Barcelona.

She was discovered naked, with a plastic bag over her head sealed with duct tape, reports the Mirror US. Initially, the scene suggested a sexual crime, but the evidence pointed towards

something far more calculated. CCTV footage captured just before the murder showed Angi entering a bank wearing a wig and withdrawing €600 from Ana's account. Article continues below

She then drove a Porsche to Zaragoza to retrieve her late father's ashes; the court noted this as a component of her well-crafted alibi. Back in the apartment, Molina sedated Ana with

an unknown substance and then suffocated her. Angi attempted to obfuscate the murder by simulating a sexual assault - for which she paid two men from a male brothel in Barcelona for semen

samples that she later planted at the crime scene. Still, her contrived story was quickly dismantled by detectives. The body of evidence all pointed towards Angi who, when interrogated,

offered several incongruent versions of her whereabouts. She initially claimed she was out buying a watch at El Corte Inglés during the murder but then switched her tale to purchasing

yogurt. Her unnerving admission in court left observers stunned as she coldly said, "without yogurts or condensed milk, I am nothing." The statement sent ripples of shock through

both the victim's relatives and the presiding judges. It emerged the murder was part of a larger plot entwined with financial deceit; Molina had secured numerous loans and life

insurances in Ana's name using falsified documents, some promising substantial remuneration, well before Ana was killed. Her intentions seemed transparent. To dispose of Ana, assume her

identity, and make off with the money. Further complications arose when Molina took on the persona of another, Susana B. She allegedly accessed Susana's personal details after the

victim left photocopies of her documents at a print shop, which Molina subsequently utilised to establish bank accounts for nefarious purposes. Police discovered incontrovertible proof, such

as Ana's documents hidden behind the cistern in Molina's loo, alongside an unopened bottle of chloroform, suggestive of calculated intent. In 2012, the court concluded that

"the amount and the relevance of the evidence, amply accredited," eliminated any uncertainty over the perpetrator’s identity. For her crimes, Molina was handed down a prison term

totalling 22 years; 18 years for the homicide of Ana Páez and an additional four for forging documents. The unfortunate murder of Ana prompted a re-examination of an unsolved enigma: the

abrupt passing in 1996 of Molina's husband, Juan Antonio Álvarez Litben, a situation hitherto unresolved. This renewed investigative effort raised questions about Molina's

potential implication, especially considering she inherited her late husband's assets. However, lacking definitive proof, the inquiry hit a dead end. Throughout her existence, Molina

donned an array of masks, fabricating identities as a psychologist, barrister, cancer patient, fictitious mother and purported abuse victim. Article continues below She feigned pregnancies

and utilised social media to authenticate her outlandish stories. In "Angi: Fake Life, True Crime," available on Netflix, director Carlos Agulló investigates a tale that stunned

the nation. He likened collecting information for Angi to walking through a "hall of mirrors." Agulló disclosed the thoroughness of their probe, saying: "We reviewed over

2,000 pages of legal documents, reports, and family files. We conducted more than 60 interviews with retired police officers, detectives, and people close to both cases," as he narrated

the investigation's complexity that mirrored Angi's numerous facades.