The first public trial begins for the disappearance of Tehuel de la Torre
On Monday, the first trial for Tehuel de la Torre, the young trans man last seen on March 11, 2021, begins in La Plata. The man who had offered him a job, Luis Alberto Ramos, is accused of aggravated homicide motivated by hatred of sexual orientation and gender identity (transphobia).
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LA PLATA, Buenos Aires Province . This Monday marks the start of the first trial for the disappearance of Tehuel de la Torre, the young trans man last seen on March 11, 2021. That afternoon, he left the house in San Vicente he shared with his girlfriend, her son, and her family to go and do some odd jobs. On the way, Tehuel ran into one of his sisters, Verónica, in the La Esperanza neighborhood (Alejandro Korn). He told her he was going to look for a job as a waiter at an event.
The man who made her that offer, Luis Alberto Ramos, is facing trial accused of “aggravated homicide motivated by hatred of sexual orientation and gender identity (transphobia).” So far, it has not been possible to reconstruct what happened that night or answer the question that followed her disappearance and continues to haunt the country: Where is Tehuel?
Ramos is the sole defendant in this trial, which will take place from July 15 to 26 at the Oral Criminal Court No. 2 in La Plata (8th Street between 56th and 57th). His friend, Oscar Alberto Montes, is also accused, but will face a jury trial, the date of which has not yet been set. Regarding what it means for the family to face two trials , their lawyer, Flavia Centurión, stated: “It’s a situation of revictimization.”
In this first trial, hearings will be held Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Ninety witnesses are expected to testify, and they will also testify in the second trial. The panel of judges consists of Claudio Joaquin Bernard, Silvia Hoerr, and Ramiro Fernández Lorenzo.
Why is Ramos going to trial?
The family's legal action, representing Tehuel's mother, Norma Nahuelcura, is being handled by Flavia Centurión and Cristian Ariel González. "We have no doubt that the murder was committed by taking advantage of Tehuel's socioeconomic circumstances and vulnerabilities," González explained to Presentes . He added, "The person we will be bringing to trial abused his position of power. He has a manipulative nature and a history of gender-based violence and harassment of women."
Among the evidence incriminating Ramos is a photo of Tehuel taken the night of his disappearance with him and Montes, a bloodstain on the wall of his house, cell phone records, remains of clothing that belonged to Tehuel and were burned, and his cell phone almost incinerated, found very close to his home.
“A very important trial is beginning. Despite not having found the body, there are indications that her disappearance was followed by a murder. This is based on blood samples, belongings found, and the hypothesis of how the body was disposed of,” Estela Díaz, Minister of Women, Gender Policies, and Sexual Diversity of the province of Buenos Aires, told Presentes.
From the outset, it was established that the investigation should take into account his trans identity, and among other measures, a working group was formed with relevant organizations. For Díaz, this is a momentous process for our society “because his search and the nature of the responses surrounding what happened also revealed the hatred directed at a trans person, compounded by his poverty. He was looking for work, which led him to the place where he was never seen alive again.”
“The entire community needs the accused to speak and say what they did to Tehuel. We hope that the justice system will rise to the occasion and understand the experiences of our transmasculine community,” said Ian Rubey, a trans man and member of the Pride and Struggle Front, which has supported the demand for justice for Tehuel from the beginning.
Without trans context
The case file contains more than 20 volumes. Less than a month ago, González and lawyers Pilar Rodríguez Genin and María Dolores Amaya joined the team to study it for the lawsuit. “When we read it, the first thing that struck us was that they kept asking about the girl,” the lawyers explained. “We see a poor start to the search by the police; they always referred to him as a woman.” González also pointed out that “this lack of training within the police force and in the investigation has even allowed some of the accused to come up with alibis.”
In the 6,500 pages, the lawyers found not a single interview with trans experts or with people who could provide information about the trans social context. “There was a lack of context in the instruction regarding the gender perspective,” González explained. For this reason, she had requested two witnesses: Blas Radi, an academic specializing in trans masculinities, and Florencia Guimaraes, a trans activist and head of the Access to Rights Program for trans and travesti people at the Women's Justice Center of the Buenos Aires City Council of Magistrates. For now, their requests have been rejected.
“It has to do with procedural timelines. The request can be made during the trial. We have the precedent of the Diana Sacayán trial,” Florencia Guimaraes explained to Presentes. In that 2018 trial, Amaranta Gómez Regalado, an anthropologist and Muxe activist, explained to the court the structural inequality suffered by transvestites and trans people in Latin America .
What to expect
The trial is generating a lot of anticipation. It was originally scheduled for August 2027. After intervention from the Pride and Struggle Front, the National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism (INADI), and the Undersecretary of Diversity Policies of the Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity—both now dismantled—it was rescheduled for July of this year. It also had the support of prosecutor Juan Pablo Caniggia. They achieved this change by explaining to the court that a wait of more than six years would violate the rights of Tehuel's mother, who is a victim of this crime.
This will be the first time the murder of a trans man is tried. Mónica Galván, who supports his mother Norma through the Tehuel Family and Friends Association, stated: “There is a lot of evidence, and we believe justice will be served.” She emphasized: “At least the mother will have some peace of mind in closing this chapter. The first one, because there is another trial coming up.”
“We demand justice and that what happened to Tehuel be clarified. At some point, that brings relief and is important for society—to break the cycle of impunity,” Minister Estela Díaz told this publication.
Amelia Barreiro, a forensic anthropologist and member of CIAV (Collective for Intervention Against Violence), warns: “Although there is hope that the trial will yield some evidence, the concern is that once it concludes, the search will simply be dropped. Even though it may not be strictly necessary to prove the homicide, nothing is being done to search for the body.”
Rubey emphasized the need for protocols to identify trans men and referred to the visibility and importance of this trial: “We ask everyone to join us in front of Court No. 2 in La Plata. We need everyone's support and for his family and friends to know that Tehuel is a demand for justice that will not be silenced.”
Activists are calling for people to join the hearings every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in front of the courthouse on 8th Street between 56th and 57th Streets in La Plata. There will be an open radio broadcast, a group hug, and cultural activities.
This article was co-produced between Tiempo Argentino and Agencia Presentes and is published in both media outlets as part of an alliance.
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