The murderer identified as the perpetrator of the homicide of Candela Santa María, a 24-year-old woman, in La Matanza, committed suicide after being surrounded by the Buenos Aires province Police at a house in Virrey del Pino.
The criminal, identified as Rodrigo López, 20 years old, tried to escape through the back of his relatives' house and, upon seeing a significant number of police officers, shot himself, dying instantly. The investigation is now under the responsibility of the Homicide Thematic Prosecutor's Unit.
The murder of Candela Santa María
The 24-year-old woman was found dead inside a Fiat Cronos at the intersection of Coronel Ramos and La Bastilla, in González Catán. Candela's body had a gunshot wound in the parietal area.
According to a relative's account, the young woman worked as a ride-hailing driver through an app and was heading to park the vehicle when, after midnight, she stopped responding to messages. According to police sources, the young woman's murder occurred in front of López's residence.
Inside the victim's vehicle, authorities found a box for a Taurus pistol, the same model the murderer was offering for sale on Instagram. Authorities also determined that Santa María had traveled to the location on her own, since she didn't use transportation services and her cell phone remained at her home, located about fifteen blocks from the scene.
For this reason, authorities ruled out robbery as a motive for the murder and stated that the investigation is focused on the possible connection between the victim and the assailant. To move forward in this direction, authorities will conduct forensic examinations of both phones to determine whether there was any prior relationship.
