Who is Pablo José Pérez, the judge who ordered the reconnection of Ángel López with his murderous mother

The death of Ángel López, the 4-year-old boy who died in Comodoro Rivadavia, is not only being investigated as a dubious, potentially unlawful death, but it also revives the debate over the judicial decisions that led to his final situation. At the center of the scene now appears the judge who intervened in the case and ordered his reconnection with the mother, now the prime suspect.

This is Pablo José Pérez, head of Family Court No. 4, who ordered that the boy return to live with Mariela Altamirano after an extensive legal dispute with his father, Luis López.

Pérez's resolution, which involved the return of tenure to the mother and the beginning of a reconnection process, is today severely questioned by the parental environment, which reports having warned of possible risks. The child's father was forceful: “Ángel was killed,” he told the press. He added: “My son always asked for me and they never did anything. Everyone treated me as sexist, and if it had been the other way around, I was already in prison.” These statements focus on the judicial approach applied, especially in a context marked by cross-complaints of gender-based violence between parents

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For her part, Mariela Altamirano categorically rejected the accusations and defended her actions: “I didn't kill my son. What's more, I protected him and looked for him,” he said. The woman argued that she was a victim of gender-based violence by her ex-partner and explained that she had lost contact with the child in that context: “He abused my ignorance and threw me out into the street,” she said. On the day of the incident, he explained: “We didn't hit the baby. We didn't do anything to him. What am I going to get it back for? To mistreat him and hit him? No. If I'm taking it away from people who are alcoholics and drug addicts to

be with me.”

The case has as its background a long legal dispute between the parents, with cross-complaints that were processed in the family jurisdiction. According to the father's environment, a video had even been released where the boy was crying and stating that he did not want to go with his mother, which reinforces criticism of the court decision. Luis López's partner also pointed at the mother: “That murderous lady, grabbed, left the baby in a coma, left him lying in the hospital and went to sleep at home.” Until this case, Pablo José Pérez kept a low profile within the Judiciary. Born in Comodoro Rivadavia 42 years ago, he graduated as a lawyer in 2011 at the San Juan Bosco National University of Patagonia

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In October 2022, he took office as coordinating judge of the Office of Unified Management of Family Jurisdiction and is currently the head of Family Court No. 4.

His appointment came after a public tender approved by the Judicial Council of the Province of Chubut, which stressed that he “applied in a timely manner” and gave him merit for the position. However, his name had not been linked to high-impact cases until now.

On the criminal front, prosecutor Facundo Oribones confirmed that the case is being investigated as a “doubtful, potentially unlawful” death. In addition, he revealed a key fact: “The autopsy revealed several injuries to the cranial area”, although he clarified that the histopathological report is still missing to determine if they were voluntary or accidental injuries. “We rely on the laboratory report to know the precise cause of death,” he explained

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For his part, the chief prosecutor, Cristian Olazábal, said: “From the criminal sphere, we did not have any indicators or prior alerts that would make us suspect that something could be happening with this minor.” It also indicated that there were no active complaints of risk to children, since the previous ones had been dismissed or filed due to lack of evidence. Currently, both Altamirano and his partner remain under police surveillance and are banned from leaving

the city.