Iquique Court Sentences Ex-Sailors to 16 and 10 Years for Qualified Homicide of Milton Domínguez

Original article: Iquique: Condenan a 16 años y 10 años de cárcel a exmarinos por homicidio calificado de Milton Domínguez

The Oral Criminal Court of Iquique has sentenced former sailors S.M.P.N. and C.A.G.S. to effective prison terms of 16 years and 10 years and one day, respectively, for their roles in the qualified homicide (with premeditation) of Milton Domínguez in May 2023 in that city.

In a unanimous verdict, the court also imposed legal penalties of lifelong absolute disqualification for public office and political rights, as well as disqualification from holding professional titles while their sentences are in effect.

The Facts

The court established, beyond a reasonable doubt, that around 04:30 hours on May 19, 2023, the convicted individuals, along with other navy personnel on duty, were walking through the intersection of Bolívar and Ramírez streets in Iquique, where they engaged in an argument with the 60-year-old victim, Milton Domínguez, who was visibly disabled and using crutches.

In this context, one of the sailors pushed him, and once he was on the ground, S.M.P.N. callously picked up the crutches and used them to strike Domínguez repeatedly on the head and body, accompanied by kicks, with one of the other individuals participating in the assault.

Meanwhile, the accused C.A.G.S., having witnessed S.M.P.N.’s attack with the crutches, joined in the beating by using a belt to lash the victim’s upper body while he lay on the ground.

The court determined that these actions constituted the crime of qualified homicide (…), given the presence of the first circumstance of premeditation, as several young men, including the accused S.M.P.N. and C.A.G.S., killed a defenseless elderly victim, who was on the ground and unable to provoke or defend himself, inflicting repeatedly fatal blows to his head, as established by forensic, testimonial, and photographic evidence, particularly the accounts of witness investigators and onlookers, alongside the death certificate, emergency care records, and the expert testimony from professionals Bravo and Caillaux, who unanimously stated that the deceased’s death was indeed caused by severe and multiple internal injuries inflicted by others using blunt objects, and that timely medical emergency attention did not guarantee the patient’s survival,” noted the judicial resolution.

View the complete ruling HERE

Amputated and Alone: The Story of Milton Domínguez, the Migrant Brutally Murdered by Navy Personnel

Murder in Iquique: Videos Show How Sailors Beat a Disabled Man with His Own Crutches

The Citizen