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By Airam Fernández, from Santiago, Chile

On the morning of Thursday, September 17, firefighters received a report of a fire and arrived at a building on Avenida José Joaquín Prieto, in the La Cisterna district of Santiago, Chile. In apartment 318, they found two charred bodies. They were Marcelo Cea and Jorge Ruiz, two gay activists, ages 44 and 31, who lived with Valentina, their poodle. 

They showed signs of having been beaten and stabbed, indicating third-party involvement. Preliminary reports from the Prosecutor's Office rule out arson as the determining motive.  

Presentes consulted the South Metropolitan Prosecutor's Office, which is investigating the case. Regarding the hypotheses circulating within the LGBT community, where the theory of a hate crime based on sexual orientation is gaining traction , the agency stated: " No theory is being ruled out ."

Miguel Palacios, the prosecutor assigned to the investigation, told Presentes that the Homicide Brigade of the Investigative Police (PDI) had been instructed to evaluate procedures related to the collection and analysis of evidence. As of the time of this report, the autopsy reports from the Legal Medical Service were not yet complete, and the victims' families had not been able to review them. The planimetric and biochemical reports from the crime scene had also not yet been released.

“It was a homophobic crime.” 

Patricio Rubio, a friend of Jorge, has taken on the role of spokesperson and is handling the legal proceedings to help the family. He told Presentes that most of the information is still confidential, so as not to hinder the investigation. The Prosecutor's Office told him that, so far, they are considering two possible motives for the crime: homophobia and robbery. They also informed him that they have ruled out several people initially considered suspects and that detectives are continuing to analyze the images captured by the building's security cameras.

For Erick Salinas, Marcelo's friend and head of the diversity office at the La Florida municipality, where they worked together, the theory of a hate crime is strengthened by the way it all happened: with pure brutality. In addition to the stabbings, Marcelo's eyes were gouged out. 

“We have to wait for the results of the investigations. But it’s hard to believe that a simple robbery could end like this. Beatings, stabbings, and then setting them on fire. What they did to them was so terrible, so vicious, that they couldn’t even leave the coffin open at the funeral. My friend’s face was completely disfigured. Nobody deserves to die like that,” he told Presentes. 

They were working on creating a diversity office

Marcelo and Jorge had been living together for about nine years. In February, they moved into the apartment they were renting in La Cisterna. Those close to them say they were a couple for a while, but more than four years ago they decided to end their romantic relationship. They remained friends, sharing their life with their pet, as well as expenses and work in the world of activism.

That Thursday was Valentina's birthday, and they were preparing everything to celebrate, the apartment owner, who asked to remain anonymous, told Presentes. Besides being tenants, they were also friends: “They were wonderful people, they never had problems with anyone. The dog was the love of their lives, she was like a daughter to them.” Valentina suffered some burns but survived the attack. 

Jorge worked as a cashier at the Líder supermarket in Puente Alto. Marcelo had cancer and was therefore retired, but he remained active in the world of activism. Together they worked on creating a diversity office for the municipality of Puente Alto , and in the process they were helped by their friend Erick Salinas and Sandra Gómez, executive director of Alma Libre, a foundation that works with transgender children.

Mauricio, Marcelo's brother, told Presentes that he was also dedicated to caring for his mother and looking after her health, while working as a volunteer at the Sótero del Río Hospital. It was there that he met Erick, while assisting people living with HIV. 

Bias-motivated violence in September

Shortly before the murder of Marcelo and Jorge, several attacks and acts of discrimination against members of the LGBT community in Chile were documented.

-On September 11, 2020, supermarket guards assaulted and insulted a gay couple because of their sexual orientation.

-On September 20, a young gay man was attacked by five people and suffered serious injuries to his face.

-On the 21st, a lesbian couple from Talca reported on social media that a neighbor was harassing them and that, because of this, the owner of the apartment they rented asked them to vacate. 

Currently, various civil society organizations are promoting a collaborative network to reform the Anti-Discrimination Law (20.609), also known as the Zamudio Law. They seek to create a law more in line with the needs of the LGBT community, in the face of increasing prejudice-based violence. 

Erick, who has participated in several working groups on this issue, hopes that the proposed changes will guarantee that “those who commit hate crimes receive no benefits whatsoever.” He also hopes for “a genuine commitment” from the authorities to enforce the law, that this will help bring justice for his friend's murder, and that these topics will be discussed and taught in schools: “Only in this way can we change future generations and prevent these terrible episodes of violence like those we've seen in recent weeks from happening again.”