Juan Carlos Aguilar murdered Colombian Jenny Sofía Rebollo, 40 and Nigerian national Maureen Ada Otuya, 29, in May and June 2013 in his gym.

The self-proclaimed monk picked up Rebollo, a mother of two, on May 25, drove her to his gym where he killed her then cut her body, hiding pieces in the gym and his flat as well as burning part of the remains. 

On June 2nd he picked up Otuya and took her to the gym, where he strangled and attacked her. A neighbour heard screams and alerted the police, who found the woman unconscious. She died 48 hours later in hospital.

During the trial, which took place in Bilbao, Aguilar admitted the murders, uttering "I admit everything," the most he said during the trial, according to Spanish media.

He received a sentence of 19 years in jail for each of the murders.

The self-titled "shaolin monk" taught a vast array of martial arts and meditation techniques to pupils from Spain and overseas at his Bilbao gym, decorated like a Buddhist temple, a self-proclaimed Buddhist monastry he called Ocean of Tranquility. 

At the time of his arrest, Aguliar's pupils remembered him describing himself as "a representative of Buddha on earth", El País reported.

"He had a very intimidating, piercing gaze," one of his pupils told the Spanish national daily, also making reference to his mystical and spiritual tendencies.

Another apprentice commented on his obsession with Zen culture and how he almost always wore typical orange Buddhist clothing.

"He was completely barmy but I never expected him to do something like that, especially considering how spiritual he was," she told El País.