The trial against the rugbiers will enter its final stretch next week with the statements of the relatives of the accused and of Juan Pedro Guarino Y Alejo Milanesi, both dismissed during the investigation stage. It is expected that on Wednesday, January 18, on the third anniversary of the murder of Fernando Baez Sosaconclude the testimonials to move on to the arguments and, finally, to the reading of the verdict.
Since the debate began, on January 2, 2023, more than 100 witnesses filed before the Oral Criminal Court (TOC) No. 1 of Dolores, the videos, chats and audios that helped to reconstruct the previous and subsequent movements of the rugbiers that on January 18, 2019, in Villa Gesell.
The hearings are witnessed by Fernando’s parents, Grace Sosa Y silvino baez, and by the relatives of the accused: maximum thomsen (23), Enzo Comelli (22), Matias Benicelli (23), Blas Cinalli (twenty-one), Ayrton Violaz (23), and Luciano (twenty-one), Cyrus (22) and Luke Pertossi (23) for the crime of “doubly aggravated homicide due to treachery and the premeditated cooperation of two or more people”a crime that has a life sentence in prison.
During the first two weeks they declared friends of the victim, people who witnessed the attack, of Virginia Pérez Antonelli, who tried to revive him after the blows, and the doctors who assisted him.
Also of the police officers who arrested the group of aggressors, the coroner who carried out the autopsy and those in charge of the expertise that was carried out during the investigation, in charge of the prosecutor Verónica Zamboni, such as the scopometry, the study of the blood on the clothes of those involved, the analysis of the videos, audios and chats.
In addition, the judges listened to Pablo Ventura, the rower accused by Thomsen and his friends hours after carrying out the ferocious beating against Báez Sosa.
The debate reached a turning point last Thursday, when Luciano Pertossi decided to break the silence to contradict a film presented by the Criminal Individualization Division for Forensic Facial Analysis of the Federal Police that showed him at the scene.
“I want to clarify something, shall I? I wasn’t there”said the defendant on a video of the fight that was projected in the courtroom.
So far, each of the witnesses complicated the situation of the accused. This Monday, on the eleventh day of the trial, the people summoned by the defense begin to testify.
They are Milanesi and Guarino, TIC (the so-called “rugby player number 11”, a minor at the time of the event, who was with the accused that night but was never charged) and friends of the accused with whom they maintained contact via WhatsApp or phone after the crime.
Likewise, during this week the relatives of the rugbiers will sit in front of the podium.
After the closing of the declarations, it is expected that the judges Maria Claudia Castro, Christian Rabaia Y Emiliano Lazzariprovide an intermediate room that allows the lawyers to prepare the arguments Fernando Burlando Y Fabian Amendola -who lead the representation of the victim’s parents-, to the defenders Hugo Tomei Y Emilia Pertosi and to trial prosecutors Gustavo Manuel Davila Y gustavo garcia.
The trial could be resumed between January 20 and 23. Once this instance is finished, the Court will communicate the date of the sentence. It is estimated that the reading of the verdict will take place on January 31. Before, the word of each one of the rugbiers is expected after several months of silence, beyond the brief initial statement of February 19, 2020, when they presented a letter in which they criticized the Justice and the media.
“Society condemned us”wrote Maximo Thomsen. At that time, the main accused pointed against the prosecutor for not having shown him the images from the security cameras and cell phones that incriminated them.
