Teenager involved in murder declared legally unaccountable, arrested six more times

In Córdoba, Argentina, a 17-year-old known as "El Orejudo" has been arrested again, a development unsurprising to the victim's family. The teenager, who was declared legally unaccountable for a murder at age 14, has since been arrested six times for various offenses. Jimena Villarreal, sister of Sebastián Villarreal, the father of two who was murdered for his motorcycle in February 2024, expressed frustration with the judicial system. "Two hours of therapy a week and returning him to the same context with the same family and under the same conditions… it is more than predictable that he will reoffend," she told LA NACION.

Villarreal was shot twice in the chest and killed despite pleading for his life after handing over his motorcycle to the assailants. He was attacked at his home in the early morning as he was about to leave for work. His family heard the gunshots and found him wounded, but he succumbed to his injuries despite emergency medical assistance.

Of the three individuals initially accused of the robbery that led to Villarreal's death, only one was convicted in March. Héctor Alejandro Herrera received a 14-year prison sentence for homicide during a robbery, aggravated by the involvement of minors and the use of a firearm, with a recidivism declaration. Two other defendants, Axel Fabricio Escada and Luciano Gonzalo Bustos, were acquitted of the homicide charge but received sentences for other qualified robbery offenses in separate incidents.

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¡No me mates, tengo dos hijos!