The Trial Begins for the Three Men Accused of Raping and Killing a Young Woman in Cienfuegos

Leidy Maura Pacheco Mur. (Periódico 5 de Septiembre)

14ymedio bigger14ymedio — The trial against the three men accused of raping and murdering Leidy Maura Pacheco Mur, 18 years old, begins this Tuesday in Cienfuegos.

Although the official press hasn’t published the names of the alleged killers, their photos have been shared on social media. Residents of the town of Junco Viejo, where the victim lived, told this journal that one of the three defendants has a criminal record for rape and another has served cumpulsory military service.

The hearing will not be public. According to the local press, it will be held in two days due to the large amount of evidence and the 45 witnesses who have been summoned. The three men will also have to answer for other cases of rape of which they are accused.

Once the final judgement has been decided, the judges will take six days to determine the sentence. The accused will be able to appeal to the People’s Supreme Court.

On September 26th of last year, Leidy Maura Pacheco went to the state corporation of Comercio de Cienfuegos because she was interested in passing a course to work there. After visiting a few friends in the neighborhood of Reina, she ate lunch with her husband and took bus 3 towards Junco Sur. She got onto a bus that she got off of near her house in Junco Viejo and called her husband at 2:56 pm, when she was one block from her home. But she never arrived.

Three men covered her mouth, took her to Plan Mango, a grove outside of Cienfuegos, raped her, and then murdered and buried her on the bank of a small dam, according to the testimony of her father, Pedro Valentín Pacheco Alonso.

The three alleged killers were living in the same community as the victim. The following day the family notified the authorities of the disappearance of the young woman, who had a 10 month old baby.

The search for the young woman lasted six days in which relatives, neighbors, and even one of the presumed rapists were implicated.

The death of Leidy Pacheco shook Cienfuegos, a city which has suffered several homicides in less than a year. On February 14, Luis Santacruz Labrada was murdered with a knife and in May, a double feminicide shocked the city, whose safety was one of its principal attractions.

Translated by: Emilee Sullivan 

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