'Lack of security not just a feeling'

Senator Aníbal Fernández comments on Cañuelas double murder

Three days after the double murder of two brothers in Cañuelas, Buenos Aires province, national Senator Aníbal Fernández (Victory Front), admitted yesterday that the “crime is not just a feeling” and denied saying the opposite some time ago.

“Just look at the faces of the Cañuelas’ children: is that just a feeling?” asked Fernández, referring to the children of Marcelo and Leonardo Massa, victims of the shooting that took place last Sunday at a supermarket in the town.

“One day I made the mistake of stating that La Nación published data concerning a survey conducted by Belgrano University, which explicitly mentioned the feeling of a lack of security. As a result, a label was put on me that has been very difficult to shake off, which is not my fault,” the Kirchnerite Senator said.

The suspected murderer was arrested yesterday afternoon at his house in La Plata, Buenos Aires province, after trying to escape when he saw police officers nearby. Police sources revealed that his name is Daniel Ignacio Chavero, 28, and he was found after several witness statements were taken.

Earlier, supervisory Judge Guillermo Atencio ordered the arrest of Fernando Marconi, a former convict, charged as co-perpetrator of the Massa brothers crime.

Court sources said that the magistrate accepted the request of prosecutor Rodolfo Robatto after he interviewed Marconi.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the double murder during a two-hour formal statement and said that he was at home at the time of the incident, after he turned himself in on Tuesday.

Cañuelas residents, who have been protesting since Monday demanding justice, received Marconi at the prosecutor’s office with shouts and catcalls. Eggs were also thrown at the suspect by the crowd.

Robatto stated that “there are no facts showing that Marconi was at the shop” where the Massa brothers were killed, but the prosecutor suspects that the defendant participated in the crime and confirmed that the motorcycle used during the attack belonged to Marconi.

Buenos Aires provincial Security Minister Ricardo Casal asked the people of Cañuelas to be “prudent and patient” because “the court is working on the case and we should wait for them to resolve the suspect’s situation.”

letter from bereaved mothers

Viviam Perrone, chairman of the civil association Bereaved Mothers (Madres del Dolor), demanded “real solutions” from Security Minister Nilda Garré in response to the continuous incidents involving violent crime.

“Pain and impunity attack us once and again. What is the response? Silence. Mrs. Nilda Garré, do you still hold the position of national Security Minister?” stated the letter.

“The people are protesting in Cañuelas after the murder of two brothers. Their parents are alive. Does anybody know what this means? Could you imagine what it feels like when you bury a son? No, she does not. If she did, the Minister would have announced new proposals to prevent further incidents and to ensure that prisoners, who should serve a sentence, are taught how to live in society,” it continues.

Perrone added that “each case hides another case, and each destroyed family replaces the one before.”

— Herald with DyN, Telam