The murderers of Morena, the 11-year-old girl, were sentenced to life imprisonment.

The Oral Criminal Court No. 3 of the judicial department of Avellaneda issued its verdict this Tuesday at noon in the trial for the murder of Morena Domínguez, the 11-year-old girl who was murdered on August 9, 2023.

The tragic incident occurred after she was attacked by motorcycle thieves when she was arriving at Almafuerte School No. 60 in Lanús. Consequently, Miguel Ángel Madariaga and Facundo Alejandro Ortiz were sentenced to life imprisonment.

Both defendants faced trial for the crime of homicide criminis causa of Morena and were found guilty of having beaten and dragged her on the asphalt with the intent to steal her belongings at the school gate, located at 3200 Molinedo Street.

The prosecutor of the case, Walter Alfaro, had requested the maximum penalty for those responsible for the crime, and the judges of TOC No. 3 of Avellaneda, Mauricio Blanco, Gustavo Rodríguez, and Daniel Canale, confirmed that decision.

The oral process was carried out in seven consecutive hearings, during which the defense of the accused questioned the legal classification of the crime and denied their involvement in the events as stated by the prosecution.

Morena's murder

The murder of Morena occurred on August 9, 2023, around 7:30 in the morning, while the girl was heading to school.

According to security camera recordings in the area, the convicts intercepted the victim while riding a motorcycle. One of them got off, stole her belongings, and quickly returned to the vehicle to flee. During the maneuver, the minor fell to the ground and remained sitting on the asphalt, unable to get up.

Minutes after the attack, a mother who was nearby assisted the girl and alerted the school staff.

"A mom saw me arrive and said: 'You're a nurse, come here!' She told me there was a girl who was unwell. I thought it was due to nerves. When I saw her, she was lying on a desk, unconscious. I lowered her to the floor and tried to perform CPR. There was no reaction. Then the ambulance arrived, they tried to revive her with a defibrillator, but she still didn't respond," the woman recounted at that time.

Morena was transported in critical condition to Evita Hospital, where she died shortly after due to a cardiorespiratory arrest. The autopsy conducted at the Lomas de Zamora morgue determined that the cause of her death was an internal hemorrhage caused by a severe blow to the abdomen.

During the early hours of the investigation, the Police arrested Miguel Ángel Madariaga and his brother, both with criminal records. However, the convicted man's relative was released days later, after witnesses and sources in the case identified Facundo Alejandro Ortiz as the second person involved in the crime.

After the arrest warrant was issued, Ortiz "deleted all his social media accounts," but he was finally located thanks to a photograph of his ID.