The Oral Criminal Trial Court of Cañete declared 18 of the 19 defendants guilty for the armed and arson attack carried out in August 2022 against the Grollmus family estate, in the commune of Contulmo, Arauco province, an event that ended with the destruction of the historic Grollmus Mill.
The verdict was announced this Tuesday by Judge Julio Ramírez and was adopted unanimously by the court. The judges established criminal liability for the crimes of arson, aggravated homicide, robbery with violence, and illegal possession and carrying of firearms and ammunition, in addition to four completed crimes of attempted homicide.
Meanwhile, the 19 defendants were acquitted of the crime of criminal association. Additionally, Camilo Astete Catrileo was acquitted of all charges brought against him by the Public Prosecutor's Office.
The judicial process lasted approximately a month and a half and included 37 hearings, held under a broad police deployment due to the characteristics of the case. Among the defendants were 16 adults and three adolescents, who were linked by the Prosecutor's Office to the organization Resistencia Mapuche Lafkenche (RML).
An attack that occurred in August 2022
The events date back to the afternoon of August 29, 2022, when a group of armed individuals entered the Grollmus family property in Contulmo.
The attack caused serious consequences for the victims and ended with the complete destruction of the Grollmus Mill, a building of high historical value for the commune and one of the main heritage elements of the area.
During the investigation, the Public Prosecutor's Office gathered evidence aimed at establishing the participation of the defendants in the various criminal acts. These elements were subsequently presented during the lengthy oral trial.
The Prosecutor's Office maintained until the closing arguments the criminal liability of the 19 defendants and requested severe sentences, including life imprisonment for some of the adult defendants. In the case of the adolescents, the requested sanctions included up to 10 years of internment in a closed regime.
Defense questioned the evidence
During the trial, the defenses questioned the solidity of the evidence presented by the Public Prosecutor's Office to establish the participation of the defendants.
The Public Criminal Defense Office of Biobío, which represents 14 of the defendants, argued that a significant part of the accusation was based on statements from protected witnesses, an argument used to cast doubt on the sufficiency of the evidence to prove the participation of their clients.
Finally, the court partially accepted the Prosecutor's Office accusations and established the criminal liability of 18 people for the proven crimes, but ruled out the existence of the crime of criminal association regarding all defendants.
Next hearing will determine the sentences
The verdict announced this Tuesday does not yet establish how long the 18 convicted individuals will remain deprived of liberty.
The determination of the sentences will be carried out in a subsequent hearing, at which the court must consider the degree of participation of each convicted person and the particular circumstances associated with the proven crimes.
The final ruling will bring to an end one of the most significant judicial processes derived from acts of violence recorded in the province of Arauco in recent years.
Four years after the attack that destroyed the Grollmus Mill and left serious consequences for its victims, the process now enters its final stage, awaiting the Oral Criminal Court of Cañete to determine the sentences that the 18 convicted individuals must serve.
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!
Leave a comment