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The End of the Antihuen Brothers: Prosecution Seeks Life Sentences for Triple Murder of Carabineros in Cañete
The prosecution filed charges against the three Antihuen Santi brothers—Felipe, Yeferson, and Tomás—and Nicolás Rivas Paillao for the triple murder of carabineros in Cañete, which occurred between the night of April 26 and the early hours of April 27, 2024.
The investigation, led by a team of prosecutors headed by La Araucanía regional prosecutor Roberto Garrido Bedell, established how the four defendants planned and executed the ambush that resulted in the deaths of First Sergeant Carlos Cisterna Navarro and First Corporals Sergio Arévalo Lobo and Misael Vidal Cid.
Indeed, according to evidence reviewed by BBCL Investiga, the Public Ministry requested qualified life imprisonment for each of the four defendants for the crime of aggravated homicide of an on-duty carabinero, along with additional sentences for related crimes totaling nearly 120 years in prison.
Thus, ahead of the oral trial, the prosecution presented testimonial evidence from 79 individuals, including police officers, witnesses, and experts, which will help reconstruct the events before and after the brutal attack on the officers.
Additionally, as documentary evidence, they submitted 1,275 files, including death certificates, screenshots, transcripts, ballistic expert reports, camera footage, vehicle satellite positioning data, and hundreds of other key elements in the investigation.
Failed Statements
Sources from this outlet claim the prosecution originally intended to file charges before this year's Carabineros anniversary (April 27).
However, the defense of the Antihuen Santi brothers requested time for their clients to provide voluntary statements before the trial, seeking to pave the way for potential mitigating circumstances.
When everything was set for this procedure, two of the three brothers changed their minds about testifying. The only one who ultimately gave his version was Yeferson Antihuen Santi, who insisted during his testimony that he was not involved in the homicide charges against him.
That, however, did not sway the investigation in the slightest. Investigators concluded that he, like the other three defendants, was directly implicated in the murder of the three officers.
Life Sentences and More
For Felipe Antihuen Santi, the prosecution seeks qualified life imprisonment for the aggravated homicide of a carabinero (as a repeat offense), plus 5 years for arson, 4 years for illegal firearm possession, and 300 days for improperly transporting human remains.
For Tomás Antihuen Santi, they requested qualified life imprisonment for the murder of the three carabineros, along with 5 years for arson, 4 years for illegal weapon possession, 5 years for illegal possession of a prohibited firearm, and 300 days for transporting human remains.
The brother facing the longest sentence is Yeferson Antihuen Santi, for whom the prosecution seeks life imprisonment for the triple homicide, 15 years for violent robbery, 5 years for arson, 4 years for illegal firearm possession, and 300 days for transporting human remains. Additionally, they requested 15 more years for robbery with intimidation, 4 years for vehicle receipt, another 4 years for firearm possession-related crimes, and 5 years for the attempted aggravated homicide of a carabinero.
Finally, Nicolás Rivas Paillao faces 15 years for violent robbery and qualified life imprisonment for his direct role in the murder of the uniformed officers.
The Crime
The Antihuen brothers are nephews of Carlos Antihuen, whom the officers were inspecting the night they were killed due to a nighttime house arrest order against him.
Around 11:30 p.m. on the night of the attack, the defendants' uncle noticed the arrival of the carabineros. He claims he was preparing to leave when he noticed something strange: the gate to his house was locked, even though he always left it open for convenience.
He approached the patrol car but felt the barrel of a gun against his neck. He tried to get into the police vehicle and close the door, but it was too late. The gunfire had already begun. He managed to run back into his house for shelter while a voice shouted at him, "Get inside, damn it," "duck, damn it."
He claims that once inside, the gunfire intensified.
Minutes later, he saw the truck reverse and head north. The next morning, he says he received a message from Felipe, who sent him an emoji along with, "Are you okay?"
The first three to be captured, in late July 2024, were Yeferson and Felipe Antihuen Santi and their friend Nicolás Rivas Paillao.
The most challenging arrest was that of Tomás Antihuen Santi, who was only apprehended by carabineros in March of this year at his "safe house," located about 10 kilometers from where the ambush took place nearly a year earlier.
A previously unseen video shows the arrest of the last suspect in the triple murder.
Source:BiobioChile
