Rio Negro, Argentina — A young man accused of the homicide of Francisco Javier Contreras has been remanded in custody as the possible perpetrator of the crime, which occurred yesterday in Rio Negro. As reported by the Argentine News Agency and as stated by the Rio Negro Public Prosecutor's Office, the prosecution pushed forward the charges during a hearing held this Friday at the Cipolletti Judicial Forum. The prosecution stated that the victim was in front of his house, located in the northeast of the city, when he crossed paths with the accused, with whom he had a prior conflict; they began an argument and the accused attacked him with a bladed weapon. The prosecutor reported that he inflicted at least four stab wounds to the thoracic region, in a vital area, causing multiple hemorrhages that led to his death. Meanwhile, the legal classification was for simple homicide, which was agreed upon in the presence of two neighbors who participated as eyewitnesses, as well as relatives of both parties, in addition to the statements of police officers who carried out the operation and confirmed the death. The official defender did not question the facts, but did question the legal classification, arguing that objective and subjective elements are ignored that would indicate justifying circumstances: 'I must question the legal classification because I understand that my client did not act with the intent to kill, but in legitimate self-defense, or an excess of legitimate self-defense'. The Guarantees Judge upheld the charges and enabled the preparatory criminal phase for a period of four months. Additionally, she ordered pretrial detention until the trial due to the risk of hindering the investigation.
