Key Witnesses to Testify
The trial of Cristian 'Pity' Álvarez for the murder of Cristian Maximiliano Díaz will have a key session this Wednesday at 10 AM, with six witnesses including doctors and experts who prepared reports added to the case file. The hearing will take place at Oral Criminal Court No. 29 of Buenos Aires, with judges Gustavo Goerner, Alejo Ramos Padilla, and Hugo Navarro presiding.[S1]
Among the witnesses are Cristina Angélica Bustos, a forensic doctor who performed the autopsy on Díaz; Manuel Oscar Martín, a criminology expert; Melina Brenda Michel, a ballistics technician who will appear by Zoom from Neuquén; Mariela Biazoni Rolla, a legal doctor; and psychiatrists Esteban Toro Martínez and Silvina Guzmán. Bustos's testimony is highly anticipated as it may clarify the autopsy findings, while Martín and Michel will discuss evidence analysis.[S1]
Defense Challenges Rejected
This is the fifth hearing, following the court's rejection of the main requests from the new defense team, lawyers Javier Baños and Sebastián Queijeiro. They had asked for a popular jury and new health evaluations for Álvarez, but the judges denied both, considering the accused fit to continue. The defense had argued that Álvarez fell asleep during earlier sessions, hindering his participation, and sought a suspension until the Appeals Chamber ruled.[S2]
The trial continued with testimony from four police officers. One officer recalled arriving at the Samoré neighborhood after a report of shots and finding Díaz on the ground in a pool of blood, with spent shell casings nearby and a neighbor pointing to Pity as the shooter. Another confirmed finding the weapon in a sewer, while a third had trouble recalling 2018 procedures, prompting prosecutors to read parts of his earlier statements.[S2]
Case Background
Álvarez is accused of killing Díaz with four shots on July 12, 2018. According to the case file, after the incident, the musician discarded the weapon in a sewer and then went to the Pinar de Rocha nightclub in Ramos Mejía. He later surrendered to authorities and told the press, 'I killed him because it was him or me, and I think any animal would do the same.'[S1]
The last police witness explained that investigators analyzed security cameras and spotted a green Volkswagen Polo that passed through various points after the crime. They identified it by a faulty light and because it was a vehicle associated with Pity. The trial will continue with witness statements as the parties proceed with evidence production for the oral debate.[S2][S1]
