Buenos Aires, February 18 (NA) – 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, begins today, just days before the one-year anniversary of the case that once again brought up the debate on lowering the age of criminal responsibility.
This Wednesday, Juvenile Responsibility Court No. 1 of La Plata will be the epicenter of one of the most anticipated trials of recent times. In the coming hours, the oral trial against the 18-year-old will begin, who is accused of the crime of homicide during a robbery.
Having committed the crime at the age of 17, he will be tried under juvenile criminal law, meaning his sentence will be less than that an adult found guilty of the same crime would receive, which in that case would be 10 to 25 years in prison.
According to what was confirmed to the Argentine News Agency, the trial will last eight hearings and will conclude on February 27, two days after the anniversary of the murder. Regarding the judges in charge, they indicated that the court will be made up of Marcelo Giorgis, Juan Carlos Estrada, and Guillermo Mercenaro.
In the case, a 14-year-old boy is also accused, who, being not criminally liable, is currently complying with the measure set by Guarantees Judge María José Lescano.
Photo: NA Agency (social networks)
The Case
Kim's murder occurred on February 25 of last year when two minor criminals intercepted the girl and her mother when they were stopped at a traffic light in the Altos de San Lorenzo neighborhood, in La Plata.
Florencia, Kim's mother, managed to get out of the vehicle, but when she tried to rescue the minor, both young men fled with the child inside.
During the getaway, Kim became entangled with the seatbelt and part of her clothing, and was dragged for 15 blocks on the asphalt until they crashed, and both criminals decided to abandon the car.
The autopsy confirmed that the girl died from the injuries suffered during the dragging, which caused even greater outrage in the population.
AgencyNA
The minor must be housed in a maximum security institute for two years and under interdisciplinary treatment.
Lescano attributed in the closing of the investigation that the young man who goes to trial is the author of the homicide, while the minor is considered a co-author.
Accused.
