Original article: “Es un crimen que se debió haber evitado”: madre de Magdalena Burgos exige presidio perpetuo tras denunciar alerta previa
This Thursday marks five months since the brutal femicide committed in the Florida commune, Biobío region, against early childhood educator Magdalena Burgos. Her family continues to seek justice, demanding qualified life imprisonment for the sole accused, Yito Erices Acuña.
In an interview with El Ciudadano, the mother of the educator, Magdalena Araneda Valdés, stated that «this is a crime that should have been prevented», given that the assailant had criminal record: a pending case for robbery with intimidation and had also been detained and formally charged for assaulting his partner that same weekend.
Ignored Warning: Assaults, Death Threats, and Violated House Arrest
According to reports, the accused assaulted and threatened his partner with death, leading to a house arrest order that he violated.
«The day before he committed the femicide against my daughter, he assaulted his partner and made death threats. She was taken away by her brothers and the police detained the assailant; however, the judge released him despite the death threat, and that night there was no verification of his house arrest. These two things could have prevented my daughter’s death,» she noted.
The prosecution revealed that the 26-year-old suspect had arrived at the victim’s property on Saturday, January 10, 2026, to visit an uncle. After failing to find him, he continued to loiter around the area, as captured by security cameras, a key factor in his identification and capture.
In the early hours of Sunday, January 11, he broke into Magdalena’s home through a window and committed the crime.
«The landlord where my daughter rented saw the assailant lingering around that afternoon, asked what he was doing there, and he said he was looking for his uncle. The landlord told him that he didn’t live there and asked him to leave. Later, his wife also told him to go away,» Araneda recounted.
Moreover, she confirmed that, as stated by the prosecution, after committing the femicide, the accused fled the scene and went to the commune of Quillón, where he confessed the crime to his mother.
«His sister heard him, the aggressor, talking to his mother and there he confessed to assaulting my daughter«, she said.
«I Demand Qualified Life Sentence for That Monster»
In her conversation with El Ciudadano, Magdalena Araneda Valdés reaffirmed that family members are demanding the maximum penalty for the accused, who is currently held in preventive detention.
«We demand that the sentence be exemplary, qualified life imprisonment, without any benefits. My daughter harmed no one; she was a good daughter, a good sister, and an early childhood educator,» Magdalena’s mother expressed.
«That man cannot be set free because he’s a beast, he’s a jackal. I demand qualified life imprisonment for that monster,» she emphasized.
Family Attorney: “The Case Deserves the Maximum Penalty Under the Law”
The family’s lawyer, Javier Pereira, confirmed that the aim is to classify the crime of the 40-year-old educator as non-intimate femicide.
«The case is currently formally against the only suspect existing at this moment. This individual is charged with a crime known as non-intimate femicide, and what remains is to complete the final steps in the investigation and then formally bring charges against this individual and take him to trial,» he explained.
«Our intention is to ensure that given the seriousness of the incident, the immense damage inflicted on the victim and her family, a case of this magnitude deserves the maximum penalty that our legal system stipulates, and that is what we will pursue,» he added concerning the push for qualified life imprisonment.
For the attorney, the most important aspect is to apply the law in its fullest rigor against the accused, which would also have «an additional effect of serving as a precedent.»
«The proper action is simply to convict this man with the maximum possible penalty and consequently create a precedent so that Magdalena’s death does not go unpunished and that this case is not just another tragic femicide case in our country,» he noted.
Pereira also confirmed that as of now, they do not have a planned trial date, as «cases of this nature are complex.»
The lawyer highlighted that his goal is to collaborate with the prosecution to expedite the investigation as much as possible.
«As far as we can assist, we certainly will, in due time,» he underscored.
Mobilization and Collection of Citizen Signatures
On June 11, family members, social movements, and organizations will gather again at Plaza Independencia in Concepción to demand justice for Magdalena Burgos. They will also proceed with the collection of citizen signatures through the platform Change.org to support the request for qualified life imprisonment.
“We have over 9,000 signatures and aim to gather 20,000 verified signatures for the trial. This won’t ensure the beast’s conviction, but it shows we have the support of 20,000 people demanding he be sentenced to qualified life imprisonment,» said Magdalena’s mother.
Social leader and member of the Collective for Perpetual Life Sentences for Femicide, Camila Arriagada, emphasized that the goal is to honor the memory of the victims, support their families, and demand more expedited judicial processes in the country.
«We hope that all these cases receive exemplary sentences, like qualified life imprisonment, to prevent such tragic situations from happening again«, she asserted.
«We Can No Longer Live in Fear»
In Chile, gender-based violence and femicides remain a disturbing reality. According to data from the Ministry of Women and Gender Equity, 45 femicides were recorded in 2025 in the country.
For the mother of the educator, achieving justice is crucial to send a strong and clear message that society will not tolerate these crimes.
«We will go to the last consequences to ensure justice is served. There must be an exemplary sentence so that individuals like him do not attempt to harm women. We can no longer live in fear,» demanded Magdalena Araneda Valdés.
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