A young trans man was murdered in southern Chile: Justice for Vicente
Vicente González Lorca, a 25-year-old trans man, was found murdered in Valdivia.
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By Airam Fernández, from Santiago, Chile
Vicente González Lorca, a 25-year-old trans man, was found murdered on Saturday, October 31, in a vacant lot on Patricio Lynch Street in Valdivia, in the Los Ríos Region of southern Chile. Vicente had begun his transition a couple of years prior and had only been living in the city for a few months. He was originally from San Sebastián, a beach resort in the municipality of Cartagena, in the Valparaíso Region.
Security cameras installed near the scene were key to identifying a suspect in less than 24 hours. On Sunday, the PDI Homicide Brigade arrested 58-year-old Víctor Hugo Abarca Díaz. He is the only person detained so far.
In Valdivia, Vicente worked in construction and before that at a sawmill. He left behind a six-year-old daughter and a family who are demanding justice for his murder on social media. His body was taken to San Sebastián on Tuesday, where his mother awaits him for the wake.
Denied initial reports
That same morning, local media reported the crime. Based on public statements by prosecutor Carlos Bahamondes, they reported that the victim was a lesbian woman. Several LGBTQ+ organizations publicized the case on social media and launched a digital campaign demanding justice for this latest femicide, which would be the 38th so far this year, according to the count kept by Corporación Miles, a feminist organization that works to build and promote the free exercise of sexual and reproductive rights.
But that afternoon, her gender identity came to light, and since then, organizations have been demanding that authorities recognize her gender. They are also calling for an investigation into the case as a hate crime.
Presentes confirmed this information with the Association of Feminist Lawyers of Chile (Abofem), which is assisting Vicente's family with the legal proceedings of the case.
Fernanda Seguel, a member of Abofem Los Ríos, explained that it was a mix-up during the review of the victim's documents. After a meeting with her family, they corrected the information that had been released.
“He was indeed a trans boy who had not legally changed his sex,” Seguel told Presentes.
“"Let it be investigated as a hate crime."
Abofem will sponsor the case through a lawsuit to assume an active role in the criminal investigation alongside the family. As of Monday night, they were still evaluating their next steps. “With the lawsuit, we will naturally seek the maximum penalty. And we will also study the possibility of finding any aggravating circumstances, considering Vicente's gender identity. We want it to be investigated as a hate crime,” Seguel said by phone from Valdivia.
She also warned that the case is complex. Not only because hate speech is not a crime in Chile, but also because of the victim's social and self-perceived identity, which does not coincide with his legal identity. “For social purposes, he identified as Vicente, but legally he was still considered a different person. From that perspective, it could also be considered femicide. The most important thing, clearly, besides respecting his identity, is that our actions influence the length of the sentence and the severity of the punishment given to the perpetrator.”
“A reclassification of the crimes is very possible.”
Yesterday, the Valdivia Guarantee Court ordered pretrial detention for Abarca Díaz. At the arraignment hearing, held online, Judge Fabián Duffau ordered his transfer to the Llancahue Penitentiary Center in Valdivia and set a 100-day deadline for the investigation, under case number 6.787-2020.
Information published in the archives of the Chilean Judiciary states that during the early morning hours, Abarca Díaz took Vicente to the vacant lot where he was later found. “The accused, with the intent to kill and rob, grabbed the victim by the neck, strangling him to death, and then stole his backpack and left the scene,” the statement reads.
Seguel told Presentes that the cameras also captured Abarca Díaz on three previous occasions, walking near the same place where Vicente was murdered, indicating that the crime was premeditated. He also said they are awaiting the results of the forensic report, as as of yesterday it had not been possible to determine whether the assailant raped Vicente before killing him.
Family, friends, and activists demand #JusticeForVicente
As of the time of this writing, the charges remained unchanged, but Seguel believes that a reclassification of the case is “very possible” later on. This is also the aim of the lawsuit. Presentes contacted the Prosecutor's Office handling the case to inquire about this possibility, but received no response.
Meanwhile, in Valdivia and several other cities in Chile, there will be demonstrations and vigils tonight in his memory.
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