The case regarding the death ofÁngel López, the 4-year-old boy murdered in Comodoro Rivadavia on April 5, has taken a new judicial turn. Judge Alejandro Soñis accepted the request from prosecutors Cristian Olazábal and Facundo Oribones and aggravated the charges against Mariela Altamirano, the child's mother, who is now accused of “aggravated homicide due to the relationship” by commission, moving away from the previous charge based on omission.
The judicial decision was made following the hearing to expand the investigation, held this Friday in a semi-presential format, where the results of the preliminary autopsy report, histopathological studies, and conclusions from the forensic medical board were incorporated.
Mariela Altamirano, mother of Ángel.
According to the prosecution, both Altamirano and her partner, Michel González, engaged in systematic mistreatment of the child and deliberately worsened his health condition. The prosecutors emphasized that it was no longer just a matter of lack of assistance or negligence, but of active participation in the context of violence that ended the child's life.
“There were acts of mistreatment by Altamirano and González that caused a deterioration in the health of the minor Ángel,” the accusation stated during the hearing. For this reason, the mother was considered a direct perpetrator of the crime under the aggravated relationship charge.
Prosecutor Facundo Oribones also stated that there is “ample evidence of inflicted blows” and revealed that the child was punished with cold water baths as a method of discipline. He also claimed that the defendants “knew the child was not well and deprived him of help.”
Meanwhile, González will remain provisionally charged with “simple homicide.” The plaintiff, represented by Roberto Castillo, welcomed the strengthening of the charges against Altamirano and asserted that from the beginning of the case they considered the woman to have a central and particularly violent role within the family environment.
The report from the Interdisciplinary Forensic Body of the Chubut Judicial Power determined that Ángel died from a “systemic inflammatory response syndrome and multi-organ damage due to an infectious process from a pulmonary focus,” specifically bronchiolitis and bronchopneumonia, in conjunction with cranioencephalic trauma and in a clear context of child violence.
The child's mother and her stepfather, presumed murderers.
The experts also specified that the mechanism of death was linked to a severe lack of oxygen in the body. The condition resulted in severe damage to vital organs and a progressive deterioration that, according to the investigation, would have evolved over several hours without receiving the necessary medical attention.
Although the complementary studies ruled out that the more than 20 detected brain injuries were the result of the so-called “shaken baby syndrome,” the prosecution maintains that the child lived under a constant situation of physical violence and extreme neglect.
