The verdict for Aybar’s femicide is known

Patricia Aybar femicide trial reaches its definition/website

The trial surrounding Patricia Aybar’s femicide is reaching its decisive phase. On this day and from 12 p.m., the Oral Criminal Court No. 3 of La Plata will read the verdict against José Luis “El Puma” Rodríguez, accused of murdering his ex-partner on May 2, 2022 in a house in the Jardín neighborhood. The verdict ends a debate that was marked by compelling testimony, a partial confession by the defendant and a request by prosecutors for life in prison.

After a third hearing that marked a break in the process, expectations are high both from the victim’s family and from the judicial environment. That day, Rodríguez asked to speak before the final hearing and admitted to “ruining his children’s lives and his own” but avoided describing the mechanics of the attack. His emotional statement did not contain a reconstruction of the event, but rather an apology addressed solely to his children.

Throughout the trial, the prosecution managed to restore a bond marked by gender-based violence. At the first hearing, Aybar’s children testified, recounting years of harassment and assault and the irreversible impact the crime had left on the family. One of them was the one who found his mother’s body on the day of the femicide, a statement that shocked the room and brought the pre-attack context back to the center of the debate.

The second day dealt intensively with the crime scene and the hours that followed. Neighbors, officials and Cientifica employees testified, detailing the condition of the house and the elements used to attack Aybar. This technical evidence was key to consolidating the prosecution’s hypothesis of treason and the impossibility of defending the victim.

The central moment of the debate were the arguments. Prosecutor Leila Aguilar gave a detailed and orderly presentation in which she supported the charge of triple murder: because of the association, because of treason and because it was committed in the context of gender-based violence against a woman. In this context, he requested a life sentence for Rodríguez. The verdict will be handed down by judges Ernesto Domenech, Santiago Paolini and Andrés Vitali and will conclude one of the most delicate legal proceedings in recent years.