The trial against one of the minors accused in the brutal murder of Kim Gómez, the girl who died after being dragged for 15 blocks following a car theft in La Plata, is set to begin in mid-February, according to the Argentine News Agency. Almost a year after one of the country's most shocking cases, which once again brought the debate over the Juvenile Penal Code to the forefront, it was announced that the oral trial against the 17-year-old adolescent, accused of robbery homicide, will begin next Wednesday, February 18th. As he is a minor but over 16 years old, he will be tried in a juvenile court. The murder of Kim occurred on February 25th of last year when two young criminals intercepted the girl and her mother as they were stopped at a traffic light in the Altos de San Lorenzo neighborhood of La Plata. Kim's mother, Florencia, managed to get out of the vehicle, but when she tried to rescue the minor, the two young men fled with the girl inside. During the getaway, Kim became caught on the seatbelt and part of her clothing and was dragged for 15 blocks on the asphalt until they crashed, and the criminals decided to abandon the car. The autopsy confirmed that the girl died from the injuries sustained during the dragging, which caused even greater outrage in the population. The accused were arrested hours later, and upon learning they were minors, the debate over lowering the age of criminal responsibility was reignited.
