A monument to the murdered French tourists was inaugurated last year in the area they were found in Salta (photo: Néstor Troncoso/El Tribuno/Télam)
Three people have been found guilty for their involvement in the rape and murder of Cassandre Bouvier, 29, and Houria Moumni, 23, French tourists who were killed in Salta in 2011.
Gustavo Lasi was found guilty for double homicide, with aggravated sexual assault and theft. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Two of his co-defendants, Omar Darío Ramos and Antonio Eduardo Sandoval, were found guilty of helping to cover up the crime by hiding the murder weapon. They each received sentences of two years.
Two other defendants, Daniel Vilte Laxi and Santos Clemente Vera, also facing charges of of double homicide, with aggravated sexual assault and theft, were found not guilty.Lasi had already confessed to being at the scene of the crime and sexually assaulting one of the women, although he claimed it was Vilte Laxi and Vera who shot the girls.
However, after a trial that lasted over two months, with 200 witness testimonies, the judges – in a split decision – decided the evidence against his alleged accomplices was not sufficient.
As the trial drew to a close earlier today, the defendants were given a chance to say some last words. Lasi addressed Jean Michel Bouvier, the father of one of the victims, and the only family member present, saying: “I’m really sorry for what happened.” After the verdict was read, Bouvier said he felt that the trial had gone well.
The two victims were last seen visiting the Quebrada de San Lorenzo on 15th July 2011. Their bodies were found at the popular tourist site two weeks later.
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