Hampshire Constabulary Cristina Ortiz-Lozano.
Cristina Ortiz-Lozano, 28, was stabbed to death by her jealous ex-boyfriend shortly after going on a Tinder date, prosecutors said during the murder trial of her ex-boyfriend, 30-year-old Abdelaziz El Yechioui Ourzat. Ortiz-Lozano, a cruise line worker, was found with fatal stab wounds at her home in Southampton, U.K., on September 21, 2019, just before 10 p.m., police said.
New details about Ortiz-Lozano’s death have been revealed during Ourzat’s trial by jury at Winchester Crown Court, and prosecutors have argued that she was killed in a “frenzied” attack after returning home from meeting a man for a date at a pub, the Daily Mail wrote. The young woman was stabbed 23 times with a kitchen knife, prosecutors said.
Ourzat pleaded not guilty to murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility, and his trial is now ongoing, Metro reported.
Police Said Ourzat Was Seen on Video Watching Ortiz-Lozano on Her Date at a Pub Before He Followed Her Home
In a statement released shortly after Ortiz-Lozano’s murder in 2019, authorities said Ourzat was arrested and charged with her murder following their investigation, but not much information was provided regarding the circumstances of her death.
During Ourzat’s trial this month, the Winchester Crown Court heard that Ourzat was seen on CCTV outside a pub where his ex-girlfriend was on a date, and he was “hiding in the shadows,” Metro wrote. Ortiz-Lozano had met Vincente Breso-Biosca on Tinder, and the two were on a date at the Giddy Bridge pub in Southampton the night she was killed.
According to prosecutor Kerry Maylin, Ourzat left the pub while they were still on their date, bought flowers and brought them to Ortiz-Lozano’s home, then returned to the pub and went in. Ortiz-Lozano spotted her ex-boyfriend and told her date they should leave since he wasn’t allowed to be near her following a previous incident, Metro reported.
Maylin told the court that CCTV captured Ourzat following the pair to the cruise line worker’s home. While her date Breso-Biosca waited outside for her, Ourzat went into the home and attacked his ex-girlfriend, Metro wrote from the trial, citing the prosecutor. Maylin described what Breso-Biosca reported seeing when he rushed inside:
He saw Miss Ortiz-Lozano already lying on her back on the kitchen floor, with Mr Ourzat crouching over her with a knife in one hand and his other on her throat. She had her eyes open but he believed her already dead, she was not moving. He described Mr Ourzat turning towards him, shutting the door and continuing his assault on Cristina Ortiz-Lozano.
Ourzat told authorities that Ortiz-Lozano invited him inside her home and they had an argument, but that Ortiz-Lozano stabbed him first, according to Metro.
Ortiz-Lozano Worked at Norwegian Cruise Line & Had Dated Ourzat for Around 12 Years Before Their Breakup
Ortiz-Lozano, who worked for Norwegian Cruise Line at the time of her death, and Ourzat met in Spain at school, prosecutors explained at the trial, and the couple was together for about 12 years until 2019, Daily Mail reported. In August 2019, Ourzat was arrested and charged with drunk driving, and that’s when the couple split up, the outlet wrote. Maylin told the jury that Ortiz-Lozano broke up with Ourzat because she “couldn’t deal with his volatility and his drunkenness.”
Ourzat did not respond well to the breakup, Maylin said. He destroyed the home they shared and was arrested, with bail conditions restricting his contact with his ex-girlfriend, the Daily Mail wrote. Prior to Ortiz-Lozano’s murder, Maylin told the court that Ourzat had already broken his bail conditions once before and harassed his ex by email.
Police released a statement from Ortiz-Lozano’s family which said, “Cristina, you passed away too soon, to join your dog Noa. We will never forget your vitality, your happiness or your determination to achieve your goals. You always gave the best of yourself to your family, your doggies, your dreams. The word impossible was not in your vocabulary. We will always love you and miss you.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, you can contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline or call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for confidential and anonymous support 24/7.
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