Uruguay court confirms murder conviction after decade-long legal process

A decade after a fatal shooting, Uruguay's Court of Appeals has confirmed an eight-year prison sentence for the man responsible for the homicide. The legal battle focused not on the sentence length, but on whether enough evidence existed to convict the perpetrator of a crime that went unwitnessed at the time of its commission.

“

Almost ten years later, a first-instance sentence was obtained, and such a delay conspires against the effectiveness of Justice.

The appellate judges agreed that sufficient proof was present but used the case to critique the judicial system's efficiency. "Almost ten years later, a first-instance sentence was obtained, and such a delay conspires against the effectiveness of Justice," the ruling stated. The court attributed the extensive delay to shifts in the criminal procedural system and multiple judges handling the case, acknowledging the timeline extended "beyond what was expected."

“

were seconds

The incident occurred on May 10, 2016. The 32-year-old victim was waiting on a motorcycle near a drug dealing point while his partner went inside. He was approached by two individuals, one of whom asked about his identity and residence. Seconds later, gunshots were heard. The victim's partner, upon exiting, encountered the same two men returning from the direction of the shooting and found her partner critically wounded.

“

already done

Evidence primarily relied on the victim's partner's testimony. She did not see weapons or the shooting itself. The conviction was built on circumstantial evidence, including the aggressors' inquiries about the victim, the short time frame before the shots, the men's proximity to the scene, and the subsequent identification of the accused. This identification, however, was not entirely certain, with the witness expressing doubt in initial statements before later adding details about the accused carrying a "bulge" at his waist.

“

not entirely sure