A court in Córdoba has imposed a 10-day gag order to halt the leaking of details concerning the investigation into the murder of a 14-year-old teenager that has shocked the nation.
Prosecutors requested the move after another search of the home of the main suspect, Claudio Gabriel Barrelier, was carried out and in light of the new investigative measures ordered.
The measures come in response to a wave of public indignation over the killing of teenager Agostina Vega, whose dismembered body was found in a field on the outskirts of Córdoba last Saturday (May 30) after a six-day search.
Subsequent searches were needed to recover the remainder of the victim’s body parts.
The teenager was last seen on May 23 by a taxi-driver who drove the victim to the suspect’s home.
Investigators believe that Vega was lured to the home of Barrelier, a 33-year-old municipal employee and the former boyfriend of the victim’s mother. According to members of the family, Agostina was told to come by and pick up a gift for her mother.
Security camera footage confirms she entered Barrelier’s home but there is no footage of her leaving.
Earlier this week, Raúl Garzón, one of the prosecutors in charge of the case, reclassified the indictment against the accused up from aggravated unlawful deprivation of liberty to femicide, and admitted the victim’s grandparents as civil plaintiffs
Barrelier, who has ties to local football hooligans associated with the Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba football club, was arrested on the night of May 26.
He initially denied having seen Vega but changed his testimony when shown CCTV footage by police officers.
Barrelier remains in custody and is hospitalised at the Bouwer prison in Córdoba. Doctors and psychologists monitoring his health have detected suicidal thoughts and ideas. According to judicial sources, he continues to receive medication and is restrained for his own safety.
Initial autopsy results
An autopsy this week confirmed that the teenager had died as a result of asphyxiation, likely while attempting to resist sexual assault.
Experts determined that the victim suffered "severe internal organ damage " and noted that "the loss of organ integrity” had “hampered" the examination in their report. It was not possible to take traditional swab samples to detect signs of sexual abuse in the pelvic area, reported local media with access to the initial results.
According to the experts, the death likely took place at Calle Juan Del Campillo 878 in Córdoba, the suspect’s home, between 1am and 3am.
The main suspect’s home was searched this week as forensic experts look for evidence related to the crime. A number of items, including clothing and a mattress, were taken away by police officers.
A local car wash, where Barrelier had left his car to be cleaned after the victim’s death, was also searched.
Public anger at the case has grown after it emerged that Barrelier was charged last year with unlawful deprivation of liberty after attempting to kidnap a woman.
The woman, who does not wish to reveal her identity, said she was detained against her will and held at gunpoint by Barrelier after entering his home.
“He tied my feet and hands and covered my mouth with tape,” said the woman, who was aged 20 at the time of the incident.
Barrelier spent 20 days in prison before being released. The case was eventually shelved due to a lack of evidence and he was released on bail.
At anti-gender violence protests across the country midweek, demonstrators called for the resignation of those investigating the case and authorities in Córdoba.
– TIMES/NA/PERFIL
Comments