the unexpected turn in the police case that killed his ex-partner in Caballito

Cynthia Cecilia Maidana (31), non-commissioned officer of the Argentine Federal Police (PFA)He stood in front of his ex-partner and father of his two youngest daughters, pulled out his service weapon and shot him at close range in the chest. It was just a few minutes before 5 a.m. on Wednesday, November 12th.

It is believed that the mere reaction of Rodolfo Emanuel Benítez Bazán, 38, a taxi driver and Paraguayan citizen, caused the same projectile to inflict an injury on the woman’s thigh. Maidana didn’t stop and when the man was on the floor, in complete agonycame back and finished him off with a shot from his Bersa Mini Thunder to the stomach.

The attack occurred in the apartment’s living room, just meters from where the couple’s daughters, ages 4 and 8, were sleeping peacefully.

The first thing the sergeant did was send a message from her daughter’s cell phone to the head of one of the brigades of the PFA’s vehicle theft department. The clock read 5:01 a.m. The message consisted only of words: “Help“,”Cyn“,”Home“,”Help“.

It took about 10 minutes before he called for help. That’s when he changed the scene. First he moved the body, he stuck a knife between her clothesHe turned off the surveillance cameras he had in the apartment and uninstalled them Whatsapp and broke his cell phone with both hands. Only then did he ask for help.

“They shot me”he shouted in the first floor hallway of a building at 100 Cachimayo Street in Caballito. It wasn’t until 5:14 a.m. that a neighbor helped her. Six minutes later, the same doctor confirmed Benítez Bazán’s death and took the sergeant to the hospital as a prisoner.

The first hypothesis addressed by the police who arrived at the scene was that Maidana was defending himself against the aggression of his ex-partner, from whom he had received a restraint measure for which he had been granted an anti-panic button.

What no one imagined was the turn things took following the investigations of the prosecutor Mónica Cuñarro, in charge of the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No. 8, who, based on the evidence collected, accused the Maidana police Homicide aggravated by the bond and use of a firearm, a felony punishable by life in prison.

Benítez Bazán’s crime began hours earlier. The woman made various movements and sent messages Whatsapp as alibi to several people around him.

“Maidana planned at least partially in advance the events that occurred in the early hours of November 12th. On the other hand, his attitude immediately after the event, which consisted of falsifying and eliminating evidence relevant to the investigation, cannot be ignored. This reinforces the idea that there was no legitimate defense“Since Maidana went to his house that night knowing what he was going to do,” prosecutor Cuñarro said in her statement, to which she had access. Clarion.

The judge based her argument on various evidence collected in the initial days of the investigation, including technical expertise and statements from family members and neighbors. This way changed the main hypothesis of self-defense to that of premeditated murder.

At 2:15 a.m. that morning, Maidana sent a message to her daughters’ nanny and ordered her: “If asked, she had to say that she looked after the girls, that she did it on even days and that they would call her, and she had to say that she would look after them that day, but that she had not been able to go because of a problem.” He also asked him not to tell anyone about the conversation.

Almost 40 minutes later, he asked the group of building residents if someone could open the front door for him because he didn’t have the keys. According to the investigation, he gave it to Benítez Bazán so that he could be in the apartment with his daughters.

It was recorded on surveillance cameras in the area, found minutes earlier on Rivadavia Avenue, that the man returned to the apartment with his two daughters.

No screams, noises or blows were heard for two hours. A neighbor reported hearing “two explosions in a row, then an ‘Oh’ scream from a woman’s voice, and then another shot, all within a period of 20 seconds, which is completely consistent with the specific mechanics,” around 5 p.m., the prosecutor said.

In his argument, Cuñarro highlighted another important point that blamed the police. She said that instead of calling 911, she decided to go into the hallway and ask for help, after which a neighbor notified police and SAME at 5:14 a.m.

“It gave him more than ten minutes to destroy evidence, and why not? change of the crime scene, “such as moving objects, placing the weapon in an unusual position – without losing sight of the danger to which he exposed his daughters after leaving them towards his room with a cartridge in the chamber – as well as inserting a knife into the victim to justify his violence,” the prosecutor said.

There were no signs of a previous fight at the scene. There were no items on the floor and the disorder was typical of a home where minors live.

The woman’s family described the relationship between Maidana and Benítez Bazán as “toxic”, but clarified that the man was never violent towards her.

“A month or two ago he told me he was doing this Reconnection between the girls and their father”explained the officer’s boss.

Benítez Bazán’s body lay face down in the main room of the apartment. He was clinging to a 32 centimeter long butcher knife on the elastic of his underwear.. The investigation revealed that it was planted by Maidana after killing him with two shots.

The absence of the man’s papillary marks on the handle was a fundamental clue that the woman’s statement was false. The blood trail left by the body was also analyzed by experts and they concluded that it was moved so that the woman could stick the knife between the victim’s clothes.

“This rotation would be justified by the fact that Maidana herself turned her victim’s body to the left in order to reach her back and place the knife there, which was later found by police forces,” the statement said.

Corporal Maidana was denounced by her eldest daughter, who claimed he had a gun pointed at his head and threatened her because she accused Benítez Bazán of abuse. Over time, the young woman gave up this account in court and denied the facts, but was still sentenced to probation.

“Daughter of a Whore”, “You’ll Regret It”, “I’ll Kill You”, “You’ve Driven Me Crazy”; were some of the phrases the young woman reported her mother shouting at her.

Maidana had a restraining order against his eldest daughter, her mother and her father. The period prescribed by the National Civil Court No. 92 was 180 days and was extended in September this year. In November it was archived due to lack of evidence.

Despite the complaints against him, the police continued to use his service weapon, which he took home and left within reach of his underage daughters.

This Friday, Room 4 of the National Criminal and Correctional Institutions Appeal Tribunal rejected the request for release carried out by Maidana’s defense.

In their argument, the judges pointed out that he was a police officer “Proof that you have access to resources, “Logistical tools and work ties that, if released, he could use to hinder the ongoing investigation.”

Maidana expanded his investigation. Unlike the first statement, this time he was not willing to answer questions from the prosecutor. He claimed he was the victim of two violent acts committed by his ex-partner, but He stated that his complaint had not been accepted.

Prosecutor Cuñarro expects a range of results psychiatric expertise of the defendant, the victim’s cell phone report and an extension of the autopsy.