By Soledad Mizerniuk and Victoria Rodríguez, from Santa Fe

[News updated on 16/6 at 10 am]

In Reconquista—one of the most important cities in northern Santa Fe province—and where marches against the expropriation of Vicentín are currently taking place, Roberto Monje, a 40-year-old active gay activist, was murdered this Saturday. He worked in a downtown store and was therefore known to most of the residents of Reconquista.

The lifeless body was found in the bathroom of his home, with dozens of stab wounds, mostly to the neck. Some puncture wounds on his hands indicate he tried to defend himself. Based on images captured by security cameras near the residence, located at 1020 Ludueña Street, the alleged killer arrived at Roberto's house by bicycle around 8 p.m. on Friday and left 11 hours later. 

In an interview with Presentes, Alejandro Rodríguez, deputy prosecutor of the Reconquista Prosecutor's Office of the Public Prosecutor's Office of Santa Fe, recounted: “I received a call around 8:30 a.m. The victim's housekeeper became worried because she couldn't get into the house and noticed a broken window in the door. She went to the deceased's workplace and returned with some of his coworkers. They couldn't get in, so they called 911. The police entered the house through a side entrance and found him dead in the bathroom.”

The prosecutor entered the bathroom where Roberto lay, accompanied by the forensic doctor. “The deceased showed signs consistent with having been physically assaulted with sharp objects. The autopsy confirmed the cause of death. We summoned everyone in his circle and began receiving information. Today we don't yet have a perpetrator, but we do have leads that point to likely suspects. I also don't yet have a motive,” the prosecutor said.

With multiple hypotheses in mind, a 17-person investigative team is currently reviewing footage from all the city's security cameras (an area of ​​just over 500 km²). Yesterday, Sunday, 16 interviews were conducted, the autopsy was performed, and further analysis of the recordings was carried out. Across the street from the residence where the homicide occurred is a clinic equipped with several cameras. These cameras captured the arrival and departure of an individual from the clinic. 

Prosecutor Rodríguez also confirmed that Roberto's cell phone was not found at his home, nor was a sum of money that someone had withdrawn from his bank account hours earlier at his request. “The withdrawal was verified at an ATM. The person who made the withdrawal was interviewed, but there is no connection between them and the crime. We are working tirelessly. I am confident that we will find the perpetrator,” he said. 

When asked about the possibility that it was a hate crime, given the extreme violence of the attack and Roberto's well-known activism in the gay community, Rodríguez said that "today all hypotheses are possible, none of them are ruled out."

"This is a hate crime."

Roberto was gay and had been active for several years in the civil association VOX, an NGO that has worked in the province of Santa Fe since 2001 for the civil and social rights of sexual diversity. His first public demonstrations in favor of LGBTQ+ rights and comprehensive sex education were in 2008, when Reconquista made the news because a school supervisor justified the mistreatment of a 12-year-old boy for being "effeminate." He eventually left the organization but never abandoned human rights causes.

The murder of Roberto deeply affected the entire community. Photos and messages were shared on social media for a man who was a part of many people's daily lives. "Those of us who knew Roberto for his activism in defense of the rights of sexual minorities are faced with this painful news and a situation that clearly demonstrates the persistence of hate crimes," posted the Frente Justicia por Vanesa Zabala (Justice for Vanesa Zabala Front), one of the organizations supporting the call for justice in Monje's murder, on their social media accounts.

READ MORE: Trial for the transphobic murder of Vanesa Zabala: life imprisonment for the killers

“ Because of the brutality and the way it was carried out, we believe this is a hate crime . In any case, we are waiting for more information,” Eliana Ibarra, a member of the Justice for Vanesa Zabala Front, told Presentes. She added, “This is a very hard blow for Reconquista. She was a well-known figure in the business community and for her work with groups that fight for human rights.”

His mom and dad's request

Roberto's parents, Elba and Ramón, published an open letter to the community of Reconquista. They ask that anyone with information about the crime contact the prosecutor's office.

"We are Robert Monjen's parents, and we would like to ask that if anyone saw or heard anything about our son's tragic death, please contact the prosecutor, their team, or the PDI (Chilean Investigative Police), and help us achieve justice. We have been together for 45 years and have raised four children (two sons and two daughters), as well as a granddaughter who is also like a daughter to us. Our greatest pride was raising them with a strong work ethic and respect for all people equally." 

From Daia Monje's wall: Open letter to the Reconquista community: We are Robert's parents and we would like…

Published by Red D Positiva Reconquista in Monday, June 15, 2020

Through its social media channels, Valy Shop, the business where Roberto had worked for years, also posted a message that received hundreds of reactions: “Today is a very sad day. The entire Valy family—staff, suppliers, customers, and friends—was shaken by the worst news. We lost a son, a brother, and a great friend… He certainly did not live in vain. A good person, polite, loyal, honest… Thank you for everything, Ro. Safe travels, fly high; nothing can stop you now. We will miss you SO MUCH.”

Carina Santa Cruz, a member of the Reconquista Positive Diversity Network, also spoke with Presentes and remembered Roberto: “He wasn't in my inner circle, but we had a very good relationship. In fact, he had worked in retail for many years, and I frequented that store because it's close to my house.” “Robert was an excellent person; he didn't have problems with anyone. It was truly a very hard blow for the entire community,” she said.

Speaking to the website ReconquistaHoy, Roberto's sister, Lorena, demanded justice and insisted: “This cannot go unpunished. They took away a vital part of our family. They left us without a brother, and now a mother and father without a son. This cannot remain unsolved.”

A list of hate crimes in the area

Roberto's murder adds to a list of killings of LGBTQ+ people in the area that have had a profound impact on the community of some 70,000 inhabitants. "This case puts us back in a horrible place, it stirs up a lot of emotions; we have a string of cases that still hurt us," acknowledged Eliana Ibarra.

One of the most notorious cases was the 2000 murder of Ana Britez, a transgender sex worker who resisted police persecution and was ultimately killed, mutilated, and dumped on the side of National Route A009. In 2007, Professor Ives Medina was stabbed 13 times and murdered. Throughout the investigation, his sexual orientation was violently sensationalized in most media outlets.

March 29 marked the seventh anniversary of Vanesa Zabala's murder. The four people responsible for the crime were convicted of "double aggravated homicide due to cruelty and treachery, and further aggravated by the participation of minors." However, the case file did not technically define it as a hate crime.

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