One of Spain’s most notorious convicted serial killers has been transferred to a women’s prison unit after claiming he is a woman, while serving a sentence for multiple murders at a nursing home. The inmate, whose real name is Joan Vila Dilmé, is now reportedly using the name “Aida.”
It comes years after Vila was convicted in 2013 and sentenced to 127 years in prison for the deaths of 11 elderly residents at a care facility in Olot, in Spain’s Catalonia region. Under Spanish law, the maximum time served is capped at 40 years, meaning he could be eligible for release in 2053. Vila, now 60, had been working as a caregiver at the La Caritat nursing home when authorities began investigating a suspicious death in 2010. That case involved an 85-year-old woman who was found to have ingested a corrosive substance. Police later identified Vila as a suspect and he admitted to forcing the victim to consume the substance.
It wasn’t just one case. Investigators ultimately linked him to a series of killings between August 2009 and October 2010, involving nine women and two men, all elderly residents between the ages of 80 and 90. Early in the investigation, Vila confessed to three murders, but further evidence expanded the scope significantly.
Authorities said Vila initially used methods that were difficult to detect, including administering mixtures of barbiturates or delivering high doses of insulin to patients, reports Reduxx. These deaths were often misclassified as natural causes or medical complications.
By late 2010, colleagues began noticing changes in his behavior. He reportedly became more aggressive and expressed frustration with his job. During the final phase of the killings, which occurred over a five-day period that October, Vila switched to more overt methods, including forcing victims to ingest bleach or injecting corrosive substances into their mouths.
The last victim, Paquita Gironès Quintana, had reportedly raised concerns about Vila’s behavior before her death. Investigators later determined that he moved her to an area without surveillance cameras. She was found with injuries and later died after being forced to ingest a toxic substance. Following his conviction, Vila has been serving his sentence at Puig de les Basses prison in Figueres. Reports now indicate that he has adopted a female identity while incarcerated and has been transferred to a women’s unit. Some outlets have reported he may also use the name “Aura.”
According to reporting from Spanish media, Vila had previously stated during the investigation that he felt like “a woman trapped in a man’s body.” He has not undergone surgical procedures but is reportedly planning to pursue them. The report stated that “her transition does not entail any benefits related to her sentence.”
It comes years after Vila was convicted in 2013 and sentenced to 127 years in prison for the deaths of 11 elderly residents at a care facility in Olot, in Spain’s Catalonia region. Under Spanish law, the maximum time served is capped at 40 years, meaning he could be eligible for release in 2053. Vila, now 60, had been working as a caregiver at the La Caritat nursing home when authorities began investigating a suspicious death in 2010. That case involved an 85-year-old woman who was found to have ingested a corrosive substance. Police later identified Vila as a suspect and he admitted to forcing the victim to consume the substance.
It wasn’t just one case. Investigators ultimately linked him to a series of killings between August 2009 and October 2010, involving nine women and two men, all elderly residents between the ages of 80 and 90. Early in the investigation, Vila confessed to three murders, but further evidence expanded the scope significantly.
Authorities said Vila initially used methods that were difficult to detect, including administering mixtures of barbiturates or delivering high doses of insulin to patients, reports Reduxx. These deaths were often misclassified as natural causes or medical complications.
By late 2010, colleagues began noticing changes in his behavior. He reportedly became more aggressive and expressed frustration with his job. During the final phase of the killings, which occurred over a five-day period that October, Vila switched to more overt methods, including forcing victims to ingest bleach or injecting corrosive substances into their mouths.
The last victim, Paquita Gironès Quintana, had reportedly raised concerns about Vila’s behavior before her death. Investigators later determined that he moved her to an area without surveillance cameras. She was found with injuries and later died after being forced to ingest a toxic substance. Following his conviction, Vila has been serving his sentence at Puig de les Basses prison in Figueres. Reports now indicate that he has adopted a female identity while incarcerated and has been transferred to a women’s unit. Some outlets have reported he may also use the name “Aura.”
According to reporting from Spanish media, Vila had previously stated during the investigation that he felt like “a woman trapped in a man’s body.” He has not undergone surgical procedures but is reportedly planning to pursue them. The report stated that “her transition does not entail any benefits related to her sentence.”
