Four Neighbors from Copiapó Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Fatal Beating of Man Wrongly Accused of Theft

Original article: Acusaron erróneamente a un hombre de andar robando y lo mataron a golpes: 4 vecinos de Copiapó fueron condenados a 10 años de cárcel por homicidio

On Wednesday, February 18, the Local Prosecutor’s Office of Copiapó secured effective prison sentences against four defendants, who were found guilty of direct involvement in the qualified homicide of an individual, an incident that took place in this city and resulted in the victim’s death due to severe injuries sustained.

Based on the evidence presented by the Prosecutor’s Office, the Oral Criminal Court of Copiapó sentenced Tania Pérez Vergara, Ambar Díaz Rubio, Jeremías Bravo Jaque, and Yimi Borges Guaira as perpetrators of the completed offense of qualified homicide, imposing upon them a sentence of 10 years and one day of effective imprisonment, which they must serve in a correctional facility.

The oral trial for this case was overseen by Chief Prosecutor of Copiapó, Christian González, who presented various pieces of evidence collected during the investigative phase, including witness testimonies, audiovisual and scientific evidence, as well as reports compiled by the Homicide Brigade of the PDI.

The Incident

According to the evidence established during the trial, the events occurred in the early hours of December 25, 2024, when the defendants assaulted the victim, a national of Ecuador, using kicks and punches, as well as attacking him with a hammer.

Subsequently, they dragged him into the public street and tied him to a street sign post in the area, where they continued to attack him, inflicting serious injuries that ultimately led to his death.

Prosecutor Christian González noted that the convicted individuals acted under the mistaken belief that the victim was committing a robbery, a claim that was not true, as he was in the area under the influence of alcohol and drugs, hiding from alleged people he believed were pursuing him.

The Citizen