Argentina Rugby Players Sentenced to Life in Prison Over Teen's Murder

Five out of eight amateur Argentina rugby players involved in the 2020 murder of 18-year-old Fernando Baez Sosa were sentenced to life in prison. The victim was beaten to death in what critics described as a racist and classist attack.

The five defendants were all between the ages of 21 and 23. They were handed a life imprisonment sentence while others receive each 15 years for playing a "secondary" role in the incident, accoridng to Al Jazeera

Baez Sosa was a law student from a Paraguayan-born family. His family's lawyers noted that they are considering whether to appeal the 15-year sentences, which fell short of the maximum life imprisonment they were seeking against all the defendants.

The verdict was delivered after a four-week trial in the town of Dolores, 220 km south of the capital Buenos Aires.

The governor of Buenos Aires province said justice "does not repair but alleviates." Horacio Rodriguez Larreta told the victim's family that he deeply hopes the verdict "brings you some comfort."

Lawyer for the Baez Sosa family, Fernando Burlando, noted in a local media outlet La Nacio that they are evaluating the sentences and he thinks it was "not justice."

Burlando went on to say that Monday's ruling is "the first time" in the family's pursuit of justice for Baez Sosa.

Argentina Rugby Players Murder Trial

The five defendants sentenced to life in prison were found guilty of double aggravated murder as the co-perpetrators of the attack.

They were identified as Maximo Thomsen, Enzo Comelli, Matias Benicelli, Ciro Petrossi, and Luciano Pertossi, according to Buenos Aires Times.

The three defendants were named Ayrton Violazz, Blas Cinalli, and Lucas Pertossi.

The judge's ruling on the life imprisonment sentence argued that they were the "co-perpetrators" of the crime, with aggravating factors of premeditation and malice aforethought.

The five defendants sentenced to life in prison are seen to serve at least 35 years in jail. However, they may still face difficulties in winning parole at a later date.

Fernando Baez Sosa's Murder

A witness testified that there was a minor discussion between the victim and one of the members of the group who killed him by kicking him in his head,

The accused all escaped and were captured the following morning. Initially, the arrest included 10 people, but two were eventually released.

The eight people did not detail how the incident took place.

In January 2020, Baez Sosa and friends had been partying in a nightclub in the seaside city of Villa Gesell and an altercation broke out between them and the rugby players.

The rugby players then started kicking and beating Baez Sosa as he lay on the ground, with some of them trying to keep bystanders from intervening,

One witness filmed the attack, which lasted around 45 seconds. One of the attackers was heard screaming "negro de mierda," which means "black piece of shit," as cited by The Guardian.

Another rugby player promised to "take him as a trophy." The rugby players then went on to brag about the attack in text messages and swore to stay silent about the incident.

Baez Sosa's mother, Graciela Sosa, said that her son is the only victim, being killed in the worst way possible.

The National Institute against Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Racism of Argentina considers the murder a "clear racist attack" due to the words shouted by the suspects.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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