Murder of Javier Viteri
| Date | 27 May 2020 |
|---|---|
| Location |
|
| Type | Homicide |
| Cause | Murder |
Javier Viteri was found murdered on 27 May 2020 in Arenillas Canton. He had been stabbed multiple times. It was ruled as a homophobic attack, which was committed by Hilmar Corozo, who was later convicted and sentenced to 34 years in prison of the crime. The event received extensive media coverage due to the nature of the crime.
Background
Javier Slater Viteri Albuquerque (born: 28 July 1997) was a 22-year old from Machala, who worked as a dental assistant in his cousin's practice.[1][2] He had earlier started studying for his medical degree in Cuenca, but had to discontinue due to personal issues.[2] His family abused him and admitted him to a dehomosexualization clinic after learning of his sexual orientation.[3][4] He had moved to Arenillas in 2019, after he was kicked out of his house.[2]
Hilmer Corozo was a 19-year-old military conscript, who was engaged in conversation with Viteri through social media at least since a day before the incident.[2][5]
Incident
At around 10 p.m. on 27 May 2020, Viteri had a sexual encounter with Corozo, to whom he had shared the address of his home through a message. When Corozo arrived at Viteri's home, Viteri was playing video games with three of his friends, whom Viteri asked to leave soon after. Viteri's friends waited for him near the house. After nearly forty minutes, Corozo ran away from the place with a backpack that belonged to one of Viteri's friends.[1][2] While they chased Corozo, they lost track of him near the military barracks, to which Corozo had belonged to.[6]
Upon returning to Viteri's apartment, they knocked on the door and got no response. When they forced open the door, they found the body of Viteri along with three blood-stained sharp weapons and used condoms nearby.[3][7]
Aftermath
The autopsy revealed that Viteri had received between 80 and 90 stab wounds to the back, abdomen, chest, and neck.[1] The incident was suspected as a homophobic attack.[8][9] Since Viteri had opened his Facebook account from his cousin's cell phone, the police were able to review the conversations he had had and were thus able to discover Corozo's identity.[1]
Corozo, who had taken refuge in the military barracks, was arrested the next day.[4][6] He was later identified as the killer by Viteri's three friends.[2] Viteri's cell phone, which was found in Corozo's possession, was later confirmed to have traces of Viteri's blood.[6]
The incident received extensive media coverage due to the brutality of the attack on Viteri, who was stabbed 89 before he died.[2] After learning of the murder, LGBTQ organizations and groups such as Guayaqueer and Silueta X began to raise awareness on the case in social networks.[10]
Trial and sentencing
After Corozo's arrest, the prosecutor's office initially began the investigation of the crime as a murder for theft.[10] However, this was criticized by LGBTQ activists, who called for the crime to be recognized as a hate crime. They claimed that the backpack theft was a distraction and that the fact that Corozo had stabbed Viteri multiple times proved that he was motivated by hatred.[4][11] The National Council for Gender Equality also opposed the prosecution's decision and asserted that the characteristics of the victim's murder raises the question that the possible motivation could be hatred.[2][12]
During a psychological test conducted by the prosecutor's office, Corozo admitted to being the perpetrator of the crime and claimed to have murdered Viteri after feeling "bullied" by him.[13] Judge Guido Vaca presided over the trial against Corozo, who was tried for murder, and the trial began on 31 July 2020. The sentence was initially expected to be pronounced on 16 June 2021, but was postponed after Corozo's defense attorney stated that he had contracted COVID-19.[9] The final hearing against Corozo was held in the Provincial Court of Machala on 7 July 2021. Relatives and friends of Viteri held that a demonstration demanding justice for his death outside the Court. Later, Corozo was sentenced to 34 years and eight months in prison for the murder.[5][14]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 Galárraga, Alicia (14 March 2021). "El odio mata" [Hatred kills]. El Telégrafo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 22 March 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rubio, Emerson (21 June 2020). "Crimen en Arenillas: 30 horas antes de las 89 puñaladas" [Crime in Arenillas: 30 hours before the 89 stab wounds]. Extra (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
- 1 2 Acosta, Eva (5 June 2020). "Comunidad LGBT dice que joven recibió 89 puñaladas por ser homosexual" [LGBT community says young man received 89 stab wounds for being homosexual]. Metro Ecuador (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 10 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
- 1 2 3 "Federación de organizaciones LGBTI pide pena máxima por asesinato de joven que recibió 89 puñaladas" [Federation of LGBTI organizations requests maximum sentence for the murder of a young man who received 89 stab wounds]. El Universo (in Spanish). 5 June 2020. Archived from the original on 16 August 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- 1 2 "Sentencian a 34 años a exconscripto por el asesinato de joven gay" [Former conscript sentenced to 34 years for the murder of a gay young man]. La República (in Spanish). 7 July 2021. Archived from the original on 7 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
- 1 2 3 Peralta, Patricio (29 June 2020). ""Nos están matando": No hay Orgullo sin Justicia" ["They are killing us": There is no Pride without justice]. Pichincha Comunicaciones (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ↑ Castro, Mayuri (21 June 2020). "Javier Viteri no es la primera ni la última víctima de la homofobia" [Javier Viteri is not the first nor the last victim of homophobia]. GKCity (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 25 June 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ↑ Romero, Daniel (5 June 2020). "Tras asesinato de Javier Viteri se debate sobre el riesgo que corre la población Lgbti" [After Javier Viteri's murder, debate arises over the risks faced by the LGBT population]. El Comercio (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 7 July 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- 1 2 Peralta, Patricio (16 June 2021). "Caso Javier Viteri: Audiencia de juzgamiento fue suspendida" [Javier Viteri case: Trial hearing was suspended]. Pichincha Comunicaciones (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 7 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
- 1 2 Pinasco, Gabriela (6 June 2020). "¿Quién era Javier Viteri, el joven apuñalado 89 veces en Arenillas?" [Who was Javier Viteri, the young man stabbed 89 times in Arenillas?]. Vistazo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ↑ "El delito de odio en el papel, no en la práctica" [Hate crime on paper, not in practice]. La Hora (in Spanish). 29 June 2020. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
- ↑ "La Defensoría del Pueblo se pronuncia ante el caso de Javier Viteri, joven de la comunidad LGBTI que murió por 89 puñaladas en El Oro" [The Ombudsman's Office issues a statement on the case of Javier Viteri, a young member of the LGBTI community who died after receiving 89 stab wounds in El Oro]. Defensoría del Pueblo (in Spanish). 9 June 2020. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ↑ "A judge in Arenillas orders trial for the murder of Javier Viteri" [Un juez de Arenillas llama a juicio por el asesinato a Javier Viteri]. GK City (in Spanish). 31 July 2020. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ↑ Cáceres, Carola (7 July 2021). "Soldier received his punishment for stabbing him 89 times" [Militar recibió su castigo por darle 89 puñaladas]. Extra (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 8 July 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.