Río Cuarto: Preventive detention ordered for the scapegoat in the Dalmasso case for a crime

Gastón Ezequiel Zárate, 46 years old, and known as "el perejil" in the emblematic Nora Dalmasso case, will remain in custody in Río Cuarto, charged with simple homicide.

The incident in question occurred after an argument that began inside the El Águila sports complex, where Zárate was playing a match with his teenage sons (15 and 17 years old).

Witnesses state that the dispute moved to the entrance of the premises, where Zárate allegedly looked for a construction iron bar and delivered a fatal blow to the head of Rubén Ezequiel Acuña Ustarroz, 37 years old (179.7 pounds), who died instantly.

The case involving Gastón Zárate in Río Cuarto

Judicial authorities are already investigating the case.

The prosecutor in charge, Javier Di Santo, who also intervened in the Dalmasso case in 2007, considers the case to be practically solved thanks to the compelling material collected at the scene and the testimonies gathered.

Zárate was formally charged with simple homicide and transferred to the Río Cuarto penitentiary unit, where he remains in custody as the case progresses.

During the hearing, he denied the incident and requested a new defense attorney, replacing the official advisor Ivana Niesutta with José Melano.

The episode has reignited public interest in his background: in 2007, Zárate was arrested as a suspect in the murder of Nora Dalmasso, which caused a strong social reaction under the slogan of the "perejilazo." However, he was acquitted in 2011.