Elderly Spanish man dies after marrying young Dominican woman: coincidence or fate?

What are the odds that a man in his sixties, newly married to a Dominican woman in her twenties and with a newborn baby, dies suddenly shortly afterwards?

In an apartment block in Spain, a resident who was only known from passing encounters in the lift has passed away. His partner: a Dominican woman in her late twenties, with a baby just days old. He was an older man, with dyed hair, whose death "nothing had foretold", according to those who saw him. The widow will receive a widow's and orphan's pension, plus inheritances and insurance payouts. Too soon to be just bad luck, some think.

The business of death: pensions and inheritances

The case reopens the debate over relationships with a large age and origin gap, where the younger party — often a migrant from poorer countries — ends up as the sole beneficiary of a fortune built up over decades. Under the rules, the widow is entitled to a widow's pension and the baby to an orphan's pension; if the marriage was brief, there is no entitlement to a widow's pension, but there is a right to the inheritances if there is no will stating otherwise. The legal system, in the view of some analysts, makes it easy to strip the elderly man of his assets once he "falls into the nets" of an alleged gold digger.

Repeating patterns: from Di Stéfano to the anonymous neighbour

This is not an isolated case. Famous examples are cited, such as Alfredo Di Stéfano, whose much younger partner was criticised by his children. There are also anonymous cases: a Spanish man with cancer who married his Dominican carer; she looked after him until the end, sold the flat and returned to the Dominican Republic as a newly rich woman. "It's every woman's dream: find a husband and have him die soon," goes the ironic saying in certain circles.

The vulnerability of lonely older men

Behind the figures for male suicides in Spain — around 3,000 a year are mentioned — some see not only despair but also disguised murders. There is talk of methods that are hard to detect, such as poisoning with scopolamine, which is metabolised quickly and mimics natural death. Loneliness, low self-esteem and the need for company make these men easy prey, as they "grasp at a straw". The laws, meanwhile, look the other way.

The old proverbs knew it

"He who goes to bed with birds gets plucked awake," as the Spanish proverb goes. Perhaps the next time an elderly neighbour announces his wedding to a young newcomer, the heirs would do well to check the insurance policies. Just in case.