Supreme Court upholds ruling deeming veterinarian who killed two youths in La Boca not responsible

Argentina's Supreme Court has finalized a ruling that declares a veterinarian, Mariano Bonetto, as not criminally responsible for the 2016 double murder of two teenagers in Buenos Aires' La Boca neighborhood. The court rejected extraordinary appeals filed by the victims' families, upholding a previous decision by the National Criminal Cassation Chamber.

Bonetto, now 38, was found to be suffering from a psychotic episode at the time of the attack. The victims, 18-year-old Nuria Couto and 15-year-old Natalia Grenbenshicova, were stabbed multiple times in Irala Park. According to judicial sources, Bonetto approached the group of friends celebrating a birthday, initially spoke with them, then suddenly attacked Nuria, stabbing her 17 times. When a friend attempted to intervene, Bonetto also tried to stab him before turning his attention to Natalia, stabbing her in the back.

In 2018, a trial court had sentenced Bonetto to life imprisonment. However, his defense argued that he had experienced a psychotic break and did not understand his actions. In June 2022, the National Criminal Cassation Chamber, in a divided vote, declared him not criminally responsible based on unanimous medical reports from a forensic medical board. These reports concluded that Bonetto suffered from chronic delusional syndrome affecting his mental faculties.

Despite the court's decision, the mother of one of the victims, Anna Rodionova, expressed strong opposition, calling the ruling "nefarious" and vowing to appeal to the Supreme Court. She voiced concerns that Bonetto might be released and pose a danger to others. However, the Supreme Court's rejection of the appeals means the decision to intern Bonetto in a psychiatric facility stands, confirming the lower court's finding of irresponsibility due to mental illness.