Court upholds 20-year sentence for man convicted in farm homicide

A Uruguayan court has upheld a 20-year prison sentence for a man convicted of a brutal homicide during a robbery. The crime occurred on November 8, 2023, at a farm near kilometer 41 on Route 8. Police discovered a ransacked house, a missing security camera DVR, and the victim's body tied and beaten inside a shed.

“

The victim was reduced, tied up and taken to a shed adjacent to the house. There he was found by the Police on the floor, with a sheet over his body and his head covered with a TNT bag.

Investigators reconstructed the events, indicating that the convicted man, who knew the victim, drove three others to the farm to commit a robbery. Witnesses reported seeing the vehicle circling near the victim's property before the three men entered the house. The victim was subdued, bound, and taken to a nearby shed where he was attacked.

The forensic report detailed severe injuries, including fractures and skull damage, with some inflicted while the victim was still alive. A blood-stained hoe was found at the scene, identified as a potential murder weapon. Crucially, DNA evidence from a glove fragment found on the tape used to bind the victim matched the convicted man. Another man's DNA was found under the victim's fingernail, suggesting a struggle and indicating a second, still-fugitive suspect.

“

The forensic examination was key to reconstructing the final moments. The doctor noted injuries to the ankle compatible with ties, two rib fractures, and multiple skull fractures. According to his testimony, several were inflicted while the victim was still alive.

The initial conviction was handed down by Judge Pilar Rocha, who found the accused to be a co-perpetrator of a "very especially aggravated homicide." The appellate court's confirmation solidifies the 20-year sentence, though the exact role of each individual involved remains a subject of ongoing investigation for the prosecution.

“

In the scene, latex gloves and tape remnants were found. In a piece of glove adhered to the tape used to tie the victim, genetic material from the now convicted man was detected.