By Ignacio López, from Tucumán. On the morning of Sunday, January 14, two women were stabbed to death in Río Nio, a small town 60 kilometers northwest of the city of San Miguel de Tucumán. Lourdes Reinoso, a 30-year-old trans woman, and her great-aunt Francisca Ofelia Palacio, 80, were attacked with a knife, allegedly by Lourdes's ex-partner. The case is being handled by Prosecutor Diego López Ávila, who told Presentes that the accused, Julio Palladini, is hospitalized and under arrest, recovering from a suspected suicide attempt.

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The investigation is proceeding under the charge of double homicide with aggravating circumstances. “We found a prior complaint against the accused, which already included a restraining order. Therefore, we are dealing with a person who allegedly murdered someone with whom he had a previous relationship. Another aggravating factor is the violence against women and the femicide.” Given the seriousness of the charges, the prosecution is maintaining the arrest warrant while Palladini remains hospitalized and will request pretrial detention while the legal proceedings continue. Francisca Ofelia Palacio, Lourdes' great-aunt, was 80 years old. 

The media and “crimes of passion”

For his part, Commissioner Jorge Dib told Presentes that “both women had multiple stab wounds.” The commissioner also recounted that “according to Palladini’s mother, the couple had a ‘stormy’ relationship, which led the young woman to move to Río Nio after living with Palladini in Villa 9 de Julio at his parents’ home.” The “stormy relationship” narrative was passed on to local media, where the double femicide was presented under the familiar guise of a “crime of passion,” a term that masks the gender-based violence that, according to her family, Lourdes suffered.

“Lourdes had many projects”

The young trans woman was born in Río Nio and raised by her great-aunt Francisca, who made a living raising animals on her small farm. Lourdes lived in the difficult environment that small towns often impose on gender diversity, but this didn't diminish her joy: "She always sought acceptance, she had many plans, she had finished high school in Las Salinas (Burruyacú) and worked at a kiosk in town," recounted a relative of the victim who preferred to remain anonymous due to fear surrounding the situation. "Lourdes was a very devoted young woman; she took care of her grandparents until they passed away. She didn't bother anyone, even though she sometimes had to endure ridicule because her gender identity isn't understood in towns like this," the relative continued.

A couple forced out due to gender-based violence

Lourdes and Julio Palladini met in San Miguel de Tucumán between 2011 and 2012, when she was visiting family in the city. At first, she would visit him, but gradually she stayed, eventually moving into Palladini's family home where they lived together for a while. However, from the beginning, their relationship was marked by gender-based violence. "He was constantly jealous, checking her phone, and hitting her. She thought his jealousy was normal, that he was jealous because he loved her," her family told Presentes. The violence continued, and Lourdes reported him repeatedly, but he convinced her to drop the charges. Finally, in mid-2017, due to repeated acts of violence, Lourdes decided to end the relationship and return to her great-aunt Francisca's house.

Trans women, mobilized

On January 14, Julio Palladini cycled 60 kilometers to Río Nío. A relative of the victims, who lives in a nearby town, saw him pass by on the road around 7:30 in the morning and found it strange; he wasn't from the area. This is why it's presumed that the suspect in the femicides arrived at Francisca's house around 9:00 a.m. and found the 80-year-old woman alone.

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Around 1 p.m., Lourdes received a message at work and dropped everything, leaving on her motorcycle. The scene of violence left marks on the house. "It was all covered in blood and hair. Apparently, Lourdes managed to escape, wounded, to the back of the house, where her body remained," her family recounted. Palladini then tried to set the house on fire and, according to local police, attempted suicide, a claim Lourdes's family disputes and which prosecutor López Ávila was initially unable to verify. Trans women's organizations will convene a meeting next Wednesday to coordinate actions in support of the cause. “We find ourselves increasingly oppressed; there are girls who are totally excluded from society. It's commonplace to go out at night and have something happen to us. That's why we formed LOTO (Association for Freedom and Organized Trans Pride) after the murder of Ayelén Gómez, and from then on, we started to learn about each case and each story, one more horrifying than the other,” Claudina, a member of the recently founded trans organization, told Presentes.