Héctor Llaitul's Son Sentenced to Nearly 16 Years in Prison for Arson, Kidnapping, Theft, and Illegal Possession of Ammunition

The Oral Criminal Trial Court of Temuco sentenced Pelantaro Héctor Llaitul Pezoa, son of the leader of the Coordinadora Arauco Malleco (CAM), Héctor Llaitul, to nearly 16 years of effective imprisonment for his involvement in an attack that occurred at the San Luis estate, in the commune of Lautaro, La Araucanía Region.

Alongside him, Juan Carlos Mardones Sáez, Luis Menarares, Luis Fuenzalida, and Jorge Caniupil were sentenced to over 14 years in prison after being found guilty of the crimes of arson, kidnapping, and completed theft.

The events date back to November 22, 2022, when the five convicts entered the San Luis estate, where they intimidated and detained workers present at the scene. During the attack, they set fire to three trucks and an excavator, in addition to stealing various items before leaving the property.

Following the oral trial, the court established the defendants' participation in the events, dismissing the more serious charges initially filed by the Public Prosecutor's Office, including robbery with detention, robbery with intimidation, unjustified shootings, and illegal possession of prohibited firearms.

The Sentences

For the repeated crime of arson, the court sentenced all five defendants to seven years of effective imprisonment, in addition to a fine of 10 UTM and the corresponding accessory penalties of permanent absolute disqualification from holding public office and positions, political rights, and disqualification from practicing licensed professions for the duration of the sentence.

Likewise, each received a sentence of three years and one day in prison for the completed crime of kidnapping.

Added to this are another three years and one day in prison for a first theft offense, along with a fine of 5 UTM, plus an additional sentence of 541 days in prison and a fine of 2 UTM for a second theft offense.

In the case of Pelantaro Llaitul and Juan Carlos Mardones, the court added a sentence of 541 days in prison for the crime of illegal possession of ammunition, raising their total sentences to over 15 years in prison. Specifically, Pelantaro Llaitul accumulates nearly 16 years of effective imprisonment.

Pelantaro Llaitul is one of the sons of Héctor Llaitul, founder and former spokesperson of the Coordinadora Arauco Malleco (CAM), a Mapuche autonomist organization that has claimed responsibility for various arson attacks in the Southern Macrozone.

His father is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence at the Biobío Penitentiary Complex in Concepción, after being convicted of crimes related to the State Security Law, violent usurpation, assault on authority, and incitement to violence.

The case was investigated by the Public Prosecutor's Office and allowed establishing the participation of the five convicts in the attack on the San Luis estate, one of the attacks recorded during 2022 in the province of Cautín.

With this sentence, the Oral Criminal Trial Court of Temuco imposed one of the highest sentences recently handed down in cases related to acts of rural violence in La Araucanía, punishing crimes such as arson, kidnapping, theft, and illegal possession of ammunition.