Buenos Aires, December 15 (NA) – The case of the kidnapping and murder of Santiago Maldonado in Córdoba province, which occurred in August 2022 and has already resulted in two convictions, has seen new developments with the detention of four suspects. The General Directorate of Criminal Investigations, following directives from Federal Prosecutor Maximiliano Hairabedián, is conducting several raids as part of the investigation into the young man's kidnapping and murder. Although no further details were provided about the suspects' alleged involvement, it was announced that this Monday, following the operations, the provincial Security Minister, Juan Pablo Quinteros; the Police Chief, Leonardo Gutiérrez; the Deputy Chief Marcelo Marín, and other officials will hold a press conference. These procedures come in the wake of a surprising twist in the conviction of one of the accused. It was learned that he was an employee at the construction materials yard belonging to the victim's father and, in just three months on the job, planned to befriend Maldonado and, on August 16, 2022, threatened and kidnapped him. The ordeal lasted four days. The young man was held captive by a criminal gang of five people who, on August 20, stabbed him to death with a screwdriver in the head and chest and then dumped his body. The El Doce TV channel exposed that the conviction of Julio César Ramírez, sentenced to 12 years in prison as a secondary participant, could be overturned due to an outrageous error. Authorities explained that a piece of evidence presented against Ramírez, which implicated him as the one who accessed the victim's email, was actually submitted by one of the case's investigators, which constitutes a serious error, according to the Argentine News Agency. Another of the convicted was Walter Gil, who received a life sentence.
