Supreme Court Upholds Sentence for Former Carabinero in Execution of Two Young Men in 1973: Bodies Disposed of in Zanjón de la Aguada

Original article: Suprema confirmó condena a exoficial de Carabineros por ejecución de 2 jóvenes en 1973: Cuerpos fueron arrojados al Zanjón de la Aguada

The Supreme Court has denied the appeals against the conviction of former Carabinero officer Carlos Gastón Manterola Miranda for his role in the qualified homicides of José Andrés García Lazo and Jorge Rodrigo Muñoz Mella, both politically unaffiliated, executed on September 18, 1973, in Santiago, with their bodies disposed of in the Zanjón de la Aguada.

In a unanimous decision (case number 13.314-2025), the Second Chamber of the Supreme Court confirmed the sentence, which imposed a prison term of 15 years and one day on the then-sublieutenant for his responsibility in these crimes.

In the first-instance ruling—upheld by the court—Minister Paola Plaza, who oversees cases involving human rights violations at the Court of Appeals in Santiago, established the following facts:

«On September 18, 1973, around 9 PM, Jorge Rodrigo Muñoz Mella, an 18-year-old student, and José Andrés García Lazo, a 29-year-old television technician, were on their way home following a celebration of the national holiday. However, they caused a disturbance in the public street, resulting in a neighbor reporting them to the Carabineros monitoring the area for curfew violations.»

«Consequently, Carabinero officers from the 8th Police Station in Santiago responded to the scene. Despite Muñoz and García being inside a residence located at Bascuñán Guerrero street No. 620, the officers forcibly entered, dragged them outside, and ordered them to lie on the ground. Taking advantage of their defenseless state, the officers shot both men, inflicting severe wounds that instantly resulted in their deaths.»

«Once lifeless, Muñoz and García’s bodies were loaded into a police van and transported to the ‘Zanjón de la Aguada’ bridge, where they were thrown into the river, rendering it impossible for their families to locate them despite extensive searches.»

Ultimately, Minister Plaza’s investigation concluded that «in 1991, their remains were discovered in Patio 29 of the General Cemetery of Santiago, leading to their identification as Jorge Rodrigo Muñoz Mella and José Andrés García Lazo. The cause of their deaths was attributed to gunshot wounds, with the immediate cause of death cited as hemorrhagic shock resulting from a violent, homicidal act.»

Review the full ruling HERE