The accused sit in court with their lawyers (photo: Jose Granata/Télam)
This morning at 9.30am the trial opened over the 2012 murder of three young people in Villa Moreno, Rosario. Four people have been prosecuted.
Jeremías Trasante (17), Claudio ‘Mono’ Suárez (19), and Adrián ‘Patom’ Rodríguez (21) were shot dead in the early hours of 1st January 2012 as they were waiting for a friend in a football pitch. It is believed that the killings were a case of mistaken identity.
Sergio ‘Quemado’ Rodríguez, Daniel ‘Teletubi’ Delgado, Brian ‘Pescadito’ Sprio, and Mauricio Palavecaino are accused of killing the trio, whom they are alleged to have mistaken for a group of people that had shot Rodríguez’s son earlier that night.
According to the prosecutor in charge of the case, Nora Marull, the accused were part of the infamous drug gang Los Monos and were involved in a territorial dispute.
In a parallel case, three policemen are also being prosecuted in relation to the murders, after being charged with being part of a cover-up operation.
In her opening statement this morning, Marull said she will ask for “tough penalties” for the accused —Rodríguez, Delgado, and Palavecino face up to 25 years in prison.
“I have enough evidence for four convictions. I don’t have any doubts about my strategy and my evidence. There are no cracks. I’m defending this trial with conviction. I know there were five people involved, I heard it, I saw it. I hope to be up to the task,” said the prosecutor. The fifth person involved in the murder, Brian Romero, agreed to an abbreviated trial and was sentenced to eight years in prison.
The trial is expected to last at least 20 days, with more than 80 witness called to testify. Testimonies will begin tomorrow, after the initial statements.
“The trial is very challenging. For us, it means going through it all again, from the beginning. I expect an exemplary ruling from the judiciary,” said Eduardo Trasante, father of Jeremías.
Last night, family and friends of the victims, together with social, political, and human rights organisations, marched from the place where the crime took place in Villa Moreno to the court house, where they set up a tent that will remain for the duration of the trial.
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