LA PLATA, Province of Buenos Aires . The trial for the disappearance of Tehuel de la Torre began today at the Second Criminal Court in La Plata. In front of the Judicial Branch building, activists—who played a crucial role in putting the long-delayed trial on the agenda—called for open radio broadcasts and activities throughout the two weeks of hearings involved in this investigation against Luis Alberto Ramos.

Just after 11 a.m., the court—composed of Claudio Joaquin Bernard, Silvia Hoerr, and Ramiro Fernández Lorenzo—opened the trial for Tehuel's disappearance in a first-floor courtroom, with a worn burgundy curtain and a huge crucifix in the background. 

Many witnesses said they fear the accused.

Ramos is the only defendant in this trial, which will continue until July 26 and will feature testimony from 90 witnesses. He is accused of being a co-author of aggravated homicide based on hatred of sexual orientation and gender identity (Trans Hate). The other defendant, Oscar Montes, will face a jury trial, which has yet to be scheduled.

He arrived handcuffed, guarded by four people from the Buenos Aires Penitentiary Service, and sat next to his defense attorney, Natalia Argenti. At the beginning, she recalled that Tehuel's father, Andrés de la Torre, called this trial and the investigation a "farce." He even asked that it not be held, but his request was rejected. He remains convinced that his son is alive and hypothesizes that he was kidnapped by a trafficking ring. 

In this trial, the plaintiff represents Tehuel's mother, Norma Nahuelcurá, who was the first witness to testify today. She was followed by Michelle L, the girlfriend who was living with Tehuel and her young son in Norma's house at the time of his disappearance on March 11, 2021. She, like three other witnesses, asked to testify without Ramos in the courtroom, although not all of them were granted that option, citing fear of reprisals. 

Also testifying were Catalina S., Ramos's ex-partner; a male and female neighbor of Ramos's in Alejandro Korn; and a man who had rented a room to Ramos and his mother. 

Among the audience were Representative Mónica Macha (UxP); Estela Díaz, Minister of Women, Gender Policies, and Sexual Diversity of the province of Buenos Aires; transvestite activist Florencia Guimaraes, from the Access to Rights Program for Transvestite and Trans People of the Women's Justice Center of the Council of the Magistracy of Buenos Aires; Martín Canevaro of 100% Diversity and Rights; Darío Arias of ILGA LAC and Conurbanxs for Diversity; and Marcela Tobaldi of La Rosa Naranja. These organizations are part of the Pride and Struggle Front, which has been working on the cause to ensure it has a gender perspective. Also present were Lucía Portos, Undersecretary of Gender and Sexual Diversity of Buenos Aires; Provincial Representative Laura Cano; and Soledad Mendé, Director of Gender and Diversity of San Vicente, representing Mayor Nicolás Mantegazza. Representatives of other organizations accompanying the Tehuel Family and Friends Commission also attended.

First trial for transhomicide of a trans man

"We are facing a transhomicide," were the first words of the plaintiff's attorney, Cristian Ariel González, who, along with Flavia Centurión, represents Tehuel's mother. 

The prosecution's questions were posed by Juan Pablo Caniggia. This prosecution posed questions from a gender perspective, highlighting Tehuel's gender identity and how it affected other aspects of his life, for example, access to work for a poor young man.  

Tehuel's mother: “a certain Luiggi”

Norma Nahuelcurá was the only witness who wasn't afraid to testify in Ramos's presence. Sitting a few feet away from the man accused of killing her son, she recounted what it was like during the last few days she saw him. Prosecutor Caniggia began by asking questions about Tehuel. His mother said that Tehuel enjoyed playing soccer, that at age 12 he called her and told her he liked girls, that his girlfriend Michelle's son called him "dad," and that his son's financial situation was dire. When she mentioned this last part, Ramos nodded. "Tehuel didn't have a job, he couldn't find one, he did odd jobs," said his mother, who in her account portrayed what it was like for Tehuel to be a poor trans man living in the suburbs. She said she believes she met Ramos at marches, when "he was in a group, the MST" (Socialist Workers' Movement).  

Norma last saw him on March 10, 2021: "I was with him until 11 a.m., then I went to my daughter's house, because she was sick." Tehuel, she said, was always in contact with her and even lived at her house. She began to worry when she saw that Tehuel wasn't reading her messages. On Saturday, she asked Michelle to file a complaint, but according to Norma and later Michelle, they refused to take her case, claiming she was a minor (anyone, even a minor, can file a complaint). 

“She told me she had gone to Alejandro Korn, who had been called for a job as a waiter, a certain Luigi. She told me he was a friend of Tehuel. I found out later it was Luis Ramos,” Norma said. She refers to her son in the feminine form, but says she always accepted whatever he wanted to be. 

“I am Tehuel de la Torre’s girlfriend”

The next to testify was Michelle, who was 17 when Tehuel disappeared. She said they met on Facebook and were together for two or three years. She made rosquitas (fritters) and bolas de fraile (fried balls), and he went out to sell them on his bicycle. “If we didn't sell, we didn't eat. That's how it was,” she explained. She said Tehuel looked for work but couldn't find one. “They didn't want to hire him because he was a trans guy. They said he might change his mind and get pregnant.” 

On March 11, Michelle and Tehuel were washing clothes together when Tehuel received a call for a job. It was Ramos, who had a job as a waiter. Tehuel had told his girlfriend about Ramos: that he was a friend, that he knew him “from the marches” he attended with the MST. 

Michelle cooked quickly; Tehue barely managed to eat a potato. He put on gray jogging pants, a blue windbreaker, and blue sneakers, and set off on his bike. A week earlier, Ramos had called him for another event, but Michelle told him not to go. She didn't like Ramos: she said in her statement that she knew, from what her boyfriend had told her, that he was a "slob" and harassed girls. 

She also knew that Ramos had a case of abuse against her, and that's why she had rejected invitations to eat at his house, for fear of bringing her son. 

"Tehuel isn't here. If you want to pick her up, you can come in."

During her statement, which lasted just over an hour, Michelle was asked to read aloud the WhatsApp messages she sent to Ramos the day after Tehuel disappeared. A worried Michelle had hacked into her boyfriend's Gmail account to find Ramos's phone number, thinking she might know where Tehuel was.

When she asked him about him, saying she was the last person to see him, Ramos replied, "No, how can you tell me that? She's my friend. I love her very much." She then told him that the event hadn't taken place and that Tehuel had left. 

Michelle found Ramos's address and went to the house with a police officer and Tehuel's father. Ramos opened the door and told them, "Tehuel isn't here. If you want, you can come look for her ." Both the prosecution and the plaintiff questioned Michelle about her use of the feminine pronoun. She explained that Ramos did, indeed, refer to Tehuel as feminine.

According to Michelle, Ramos never offered to help with the search. Days later, during a search of that house, she identified the remains of Tehuel's burned jacket and his smashed Motorola cell phone. 

"Ramos abused my baby. I left him because he hit me."

The next to testify was Catalina Salas, Ramos's ex-partner. She, like Michelle, asked to speak without the defendant in the courtroom. Ramos remained in a room with the door open to listen to her. Catalinas said: "Ramos abused my son. I filed the complaint in September 2020 at the Alejandro Korn police station." 

Regarding her relationship with him, she recalled that the first few years were "excellent," but then he began to exhibit strange, "crazy," and "bad" behavior. He took pills and hit her. She said she was pregnant, and because of a beating, she lost the baby. 

“Luis and Tehuel were friends. He came to my house twice, and I would see him at the marches afterward. But Luis wouldn't let me participate in the conversations with other people,” Catalina said. 

Among Ramos's behaviors, she noted: "He didn't like men being with men and women with women; it made him angry," referring to gay or lesbian relationships. 

“Ramos chased us away with a knife”

Julio Elias Agûero was the third to testify. He arrived handcuffed, surrounded by Penitentiary Service personnel, and he also requested that Ramos not be present in the courtroom. 

Julio lived in the same neighborhood. He began by recounting a time when he and some friends were playing soccer on a small field around seven in the evening, when Ramos showed up “looking for a fight” with a knife. “He was drunk. He was with a girl with a backwards visor and short hair,” he said, referring to Tehuel. 

The last two people to testify were also neighbors: Romina Lobosco and Ricardo García Somaruga, who arrived by train to the Tribunales. Ricardo lived for a few months renting a room on Ramos's property, and he said he saw Tehuel there a few times. 

The Court asked him several questions about how he addressed Tehuel, and the witness said that Ramos referred to Tehuel as “boy-girl” or “a girl who was a boy.” 

Many of the judges' questions during today's testimony centered around the money Ramos had lent Tehuel, something various witnesses mentioned. They also raised questions about the use of the feminine pronoun that Ramos sometimes used to refer to Tehuel.

The hearing ended around 3:00 p.m. It was announced that 13 witnesses had been summoned for tomorrow. 

Activisms call to accompany every day

Outside, activists provided music, banners, and activities throughout the day. The Ministry of Women, Gender Policies, and Sexual Diversity of the province of Buenos Aires set up a tent. The entire courthouse fence was covered with posters calling for Justice for Tehuel.

During the recess before the final witness, lawyers shared what was happening in the trial. Tehuel's mother, Norma Nahuelcurá, offered a few words of thanks, and Mónica Galván, representing the Tehuel Family and Friends Association, also spoke. 

https://x.com/PresentesLatam/status/1812925782274068622

🇦🇷⚖️🏳️‍⚧️ Florencia Guimaraes (Furia Trava) explains why it's important to follow Tehuel's trial, visiting the La Plata court from Monday to Friday to attend the hearings. pic.twitter.com/VsKgFkBiI9

— Presentes Agency (@PresentesLatam) July 15, 2024

"It's important to be here, to organize ourselves to come. Let the justice system see that we have a network and also understand what our needs are," said transvestite activist Florencia Guimaraes at the closing ceremony. 

Tehuel's mother, Norma, expressed her gratitude: "I've been waiting so long for this day. I thank the court, the prosecutor, the lawyers, and especially all of you because I feel very supported in demanding justice for Tehue. I won't stop until I have justice. I don't want to see any more Tehueles, I don't want there to ever be any more," Norma said. She concluded: "Thank you all for giving me the strength to keep fighting until the final day of the trial."

🏳️‍⚧️⚖️🇦🇷 Where is Tehuel? With this open question, the first day of the trial for Tehuel de la Torre, a young trans man last seen in March 2021, closes in front of Court No. 2 in La Plata. pic.twitter.com/paLFjNP3gu

— Presentes Agency (@PresentesLatam) July 15, 2024