MATÍAS MONTERO Y RODRÍGUEZ DE TRUJILLO was born in Madrid in 1913. He began his career in Medicine at the Universidad Central de Madrid. At this time he was an orphan, living with his brothers and two aunts in Calle Marqués de Urquijo in the district of Argüelles.

He joined the Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional Sindicalista (JONS) and at the end of 1933, when he was twenty years old he became one of the first affiliates to the Falange Española. He came into prominence as one of the most enthusiastic militants of the Falangist cause. He also wrote for the Falangist section of the weekly “FE”. He also gave his time to recruit new militants and also participated in the selling of the weekly “FE”, in the streets of Madrid. On occasions they met with violence from the Reds.

On the evening of the 9th February 1934, he was returning home with his companion and friend, Bonet, after selling the 6th edition. His friend left him at his turn off and Matias proceeded home, when he turned into the Calle Juan Álvarez de Mendizábal, unbeknownst to him there were two assassins laying in wait for him. They shot him twice in the back, one bullet piercing his heart and as he lay dead in the street one of the assassins approached him and shot him again three times in the stomach and ran off leaving him in a pool of blood.

Thanks to excellent police work, Francisco Tello Tortajada, a worker affiliated to the Peoples Socialist Workers of Spain party (PSOE) and the Young Socialists was arrested. The PSOE is one of the two main parties in Spain today and has been the main party in Government, on several occasions.

On the 19th February 1934 with some urgency Tello was brought to trial. José Antonio Primo de Rivera, a lawyer as well as the founder of the Falange, acted for the family. He described Matías as a model student, a perfect gentleman and a lover of his country. He had been killed with premeditation and in cold blood. Tello was found guilty and sentenced to 23 years and 3 months in prison. After serving less than 3 years he was released under an amnesty declared by the then leftist Government.