Killing His Wife
Affairs of the Courtroom: Fernando de Medina Confesses to Killing His Wife
In the introduction of this chapter, we learn that on November 28th, 1595 Gaspar de Peralta, a judge for the Royal Audiencia of Charcas, answered a call from his next-door neighbor’s house. Once he entered the house, he found a domestic horror scene. Having entered the bedroom, Peralta found his chief scribe and the secretary of the audiencia (Fernando de Medina) standing over the bloody bodies of his wife and her lover, Beatriz Gonzalez. Fernando de Medina (the Husband) immediately confessed to murdering his wife and her love. He proceeded to tell the judge of his wife’s long- term affair with Beatriz Gonzalez. Fernando de Medina believed that it was his right to defend his honor. One of the first documents was a statement from Medina, saying that in no point in time in the twenty-seven years or so of marriage had he given his wife a reason to be unfaithful. In the document he explained that over the twenty-seven years he had moved from place to place and he always provided his wife with everything she’d ever needed. She provided him with two children and they all were all well taken care of. The last and final move though was she meets her “new suitor” in the garden. He goes on to say that Gonzalez and his wife would use any opportunity and location to be together. They used his (the husband) home, or the lovers, she would either wear her own clothes or try to hide their relationship and wear men’s clothing. In this passage the husband feels he has to defend his honor because he found out that all of his servants were aware of this affair. That night Medina confessed to the murder of his wife and her lover he revealed that he was aware of the affair beforehand. He informed his wife that he would be going away on a business trip, leaving the perfect opportunity for a “get together”. Knowing his wife would take advantage of this opportunity he went to check on his wife finding
In the introduction of this chapter, we learn that on November 28th, 1595 Gaspar de Peralta, a judge for the Royal Audiencia of Charcas, answered a call from his next-door neighbor’s house. Once he entered the house, he found a domestic horror scene. Having entered the bedroom, Peralta found his chief scribe and the secretary of the audiencia (Fernando de Medina) standing over the bloody bodies of his wife and her lover, Beatriz Gonzalez. Fernando de Medina (the Husband) immediately confessed to murdering his wife and her love. He proceeded to tell the judge of his wife’s long- term affair with Beatriz Gonzalez. Fernando de Medina believed that it was his right to defend his honor. One of the first documents was a statement from Medina, saying that in no point in time in the twenty-seven years or so of marriage had he given his wife a reason to be unfaithful. In the document he explained that over the twenty-seven years he had moved from place to place and he always provided his wife with everything she’d ever needed. She provided him with two children and they all were all well taken care of. The last and final move though was she meets her “new suitor” in the garden. He goes on to say that Gonzalez and his wife would use any opportunity and location to be together. They used his (the husband) home, or the lovers, she would either wear her own clothes or try to hide their relationship and wear men’s clothing. In this passage the husband feels he has to defend his honor because he found out that all of his servants were aware of this affair. That night Medina confessed to the murder of his wife and her lover he revealed that he was aware of the affair beforehand. He informed his wife that he would be going away on a business trip, leaving the perfect opportunity for a “get together”. Knowing his wife would take advantage of this opportunity he went to check on his wife finding