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By Gabriela Cruz, from Tucumán

Julio Tomás Palladini was sentenced to life imprisonment yesterday in a summary trial for the hate crime of Lourdes Anahí Reinoso and the homicide of Francisca Ofelia Palacios. This is the first case in Tucumán in which the murder of a trans woman has gone to trial as a femicide . “It was a summary trial because he accepted the charges as presented by the Prosecutor's Office,” said Alicia Palacios, Lourdes' cousin, in an interview with Presentes. “From the beginning, he refused to testify, and this time he didn't either. He didn't give any details about what happened on January 14th; he spoke calmly and only nodded when the case file was read to him,” added Palacios, who was also listed as a witness in the case.

The verdict handed down by judges Wendy Kassar (presiding), Emilio Páez de la Torre, and María Fernanda Bahler found Palacios guilty of the crimes of aggravated homicide, doubly aggravated by cruelty and premeditation, in conjunction with triple aggravated homicide due to a prior relationship with the victim, hatred based on gender identity, and gender-based violence against his ex-partner. “There is no doubt that there was cruelty and hatred. He knew that my aunt was afraid of the hamsters Lourdes kept as pets and used them to torture her. He disfigured Lourdes's face, and the way he left her exposed demonstrated his hatred of her gender,” Alicia commented.

[READ ALSO: Tucumán: A young trans woman and her great-aunt were murdered ]

Lourdes' family was represented by the Legal Aid Corps for Victims of Violence Against Women, which operates under the Provincial Secretariat of Human Rights and filed as plaintiffs in the case. The Secretary of Human Rights, Érica Brunotto, stated that this is a historic event "because it is the first trial to reach the oral proceedings where legal representation is provided by the Legal Aid Corps." Furthermore, the official emphasized: "Lourdes had legally changed her gender identity and was treated accordingly throughout the entire process. We witnessed the court's treatment of her, in accordance with the Gender Identity Law, with the respect she deserves and always referring to her as the woman she was."

She stayed with him because she was afraid of him and felt threatened.

At the time of the events, Lourdes Reinoso lived with her aunt, Francisca Palacio, in Río Nío, Burruyacu department, northeast of Tucumán. On January 14, 2018, Julio Palladini cycled the 60 kilometers separating the city of Tucumán from that town and found the elderly woman drinking mate on her porch. According to the case file, upon arriving, he tied her up, tortured her, and stabbed her to death. He then called Lourdes Reinoso, who had been his partner until 2016. He beat her, and when Lourdes tried to escape, he stabbed her and then set the house on fire.

The relationship began in 2011, and in November 2016, Lourdes decided to end it for good. Throughout those years, acts of violence were frequent. After the breakup, Lourdes decided to leave the house she shared with Palladini in the city of Tucumán and return to live with her aunt in Río Nio. There, she found work at a kiosk and was trying to rebuild her life. “She stayed with him for a long time because she was afraid of him; she and my aunt were threatened. She herself said so in the complaint she filed in 2017 when she obtained a restraining order: 'He is capable of anything.' She feared for her life and for my aunt's,” says Alicia Palacios, who was more than just a cousin; she was Lourdes' confidante. “For us, those were days of great anguish, and it was a surprise to receive the date so quickly. I am grateful for the initial support from the LOTO group – Libertad y Orgullo Trans Organizadxs (Organized Trans Freedom and Pride) – who put us in contact with lawyers, and to Laura Moreira, sister of Cinthya Moreira – another trans woman murdered in Tucumán – because with these networks, one feels supported and empowered to seek justice,” Palacios told Presentes.