Verdict in first trial into suspected murder of trans man nears

More than three years after the disappearance of Tehuel de la Torre, a sentence is expected to be handed down imminently against one of the individuals accused of killing the trans man.

A first trial into the disappearance and suspected murder of De la Torre, who was aged 21 when he disappeared in March 2021, will end on Friday (August 30) at a criminal court in La Plata.

In the dock is Luis Alberto Ramos, accused of homicide aggravated by hatred of a gender identity. Prosecutors and plaintiff’s have asked he be sentenced to life in jail, while defence lawyers have asked for the case’s dismissal.

A second suspect, Oscar Montes, is awaiting the start of jury deliberations.

According to courts, both suspects are responsible for the disappearance and subsequent murder of Tehuel, even though his body has still not been found.

“Hate is hard to prove, yet Ramos showed that trans hate by calling him a ‘shemale’ in front of everybody. Hate crimes are also known for their cruelty towards the body, and here is its maximum expression with the disappearance and silence about it,” said Cristian González, one of lawyers Tehuel’s mother, who is a plaintiff in the case.

The only possible penalty is life imprisonment, stressed González: “This is extremely important because we would be setting the first precedent of a sentence qualified as trans-homicide.”

The lawyer said the killing had caused “perpetual damage” to Tehuel’s family as “they cannot say goodbye, cannot have a wake, cannot mourn.”

De la Torre was last seen on March 11, 2021, taking a buys to Alejandro Korn, Buenos Aires Province, to meet Ramos and Montes for a supposed job interview.

Both defendants deny the allegations against them, but there were several pieces of evidence that contradicted their testimony to the courts. 

Prosecutors have since proven that Tehuel travelled from his house in San Vicente to Alejandro Korn to meet the accused at Ramos’ home.

It also became known that the young man’s mobile phone was later burned, though his Google account showed a photo he took with the two accused that sae day.

Ever since Tehuel’s disappearance, various events and marches have been organised by the LGBTQ+ community to demand for the young man’s re-appearance, as well as to repudiate hate crimes.

– TIMES/NA