The Rosario justice system is investigating the motive behind the murder of the 35-year-old trans woman and is awaiting the autopsy results. The prosecutor in charge, Rafael Coria, told Presentes that he has requested information regarding Pamela Tabares' presence at the Women's Police Station. Pamela Tabares, a 35-year-old trans woman from Rosario, lived in extremely vulnerable conditions and was murdered with at least six gunshots in the early hours of Wednesday, July 26. She was a sex worker and had gone to the red-light district that night. Her body was found on a rural road in the town of Pérez. The Prosecutor's Office confirmed that in January and the day before her murder, Tabares had gone to the Women's Police Station to file a report, but it was not recorded. "We are investigating the motive, although we have already ruled out robbery because she had nothing of value. We are waiting for the security camera footage from the different areas where she was seen that night," Prosecutor Rafael Coria told Presentes . The autopsy results are pending. They only have the preliminary report, and the Prosecutor's Office requested that the fingernails be preserved to record genetic material – in case they find skin remains of the killer – along with swabs and toxicological analysis.

No complaint

The case presents some complexities that highlight the conditions in which a large part of the trans and travesti population finds itself. In addition to Pamela's vulnerable, homeless situation, there is the fact that No family members have come forward so far Therefore, there is no complaint. From the Undersecretary of Sexual Diversity, its head, Esteban Paulón had expressed the desire on behalf of the Province Coria said he would like to file a complaint in the case, but that's not possible at the moment. "I wouldn't have a problem with that, but it has to be initiated by the victim's family, and so far none of them have approached me," Coria told [the press]. PresentsThe prosecutor's office sent an official letter to the municipality, since it is known that Pamela had approached the Undersecretary of Sexual Diversity and "we need to know the treatment that was carried out by this area," the prosecutor added.

“Due to the absence of the State”

Social organizations and LGBTQ+ activists maintain that the State is responsible for the transphobic murder, primarily due to abandonment of a person. Michelle Mendoza, a leader in the trans community in Rosario, met Pamela through her activism. “We always ran into her in the area, and she was always asking for help, screaming for help. Once we met, and she told me: ‘I’m almost 40 years old, and I still haven’t started to live,’” she told PresentsThe news of Pamela's murder prompted many activists and friends to speak out on social media, highlighting that she had gone to more than one government agency seeking help. The response, Michelle maintained, was often subsidies or courses that ultimately led nowhere. "If we've reached this point, it's because of the State's absence," she emphasized.

“We are not ruling out femicide”

Making visible the hate crimes perpetrated against transsexual, transvestite, and transgender people is a strategy of the LGBTI community, and the term "travesticide" is used for this purpose. This aims to highlight the situation they face due to their gender identity. "Legally, the term 'travesticide' doesn't exist; at the moment, it's considered aggravated homicide due to the use of a firearm. The homicide was against a woman, since Pamela had legally changed her gender. We don't rule out the possibility that it was a femicide, but we can't confirm it either, as we first need to know who killed her," said the prosecutor. "This homicide could potentially be considered a hate crime under section 80, but we can't say anything definitively yet because the investigation is ongoing," he added. Regarding the continuation of the case and when asked about possible hearing dates, Coria reported that a hearing requires someone to be detained, and there isn't one yet. Report by Cristian Alberti, from Rosario. ]]>