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José Luis Cabezas | |
|---|---|
 Press pass photo of Cabezas | |
| Born | (1961-11-28)November 28, 1961 |
| Disappeared | 25 January 1997 Pinamar |
| Status | Dead |
| Died | January 25, 1997(1997-01-25) (aged 35) |
| Cause of death | Photographing the gangsterAlfredo Yabrán |
| Monuments | No se olviden de Cabezas inColegiales,Buenos Aires[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, Photographer |
| Employer | Noticias magazine |
| Spouse | María Cristina Robledo |
| Children | Agustina, Juan, Candela |
| Relatives | Gladys Cabezas |
José Luis Cabezas (Wilde, Buenos Aires, 28 November 1961 –General Madariaga, 25 January 1997) was anArgentine newsphotographer and reporter who worked forNoticias, a leading localnewsmagazine. Cabezas gained notoriety after he was kidnapped and killed by people hired byAlfredo Yabrán in retaliation for having taken a photo of him inPinamar –a seaside resort inAtlantic Coast– in February 1996. The photo, which displayed Yabrán and his wife, was published on the cover ofNoticias magazine in March 1996, unveiling Yabrán's face to public.[2]
The murder of Cabezas was widely covered by the Argentine media and was a shock not only for the society but for some of the most renowned politicians of that time, which had close ties with Yabrán.[3][4]
On 25 January 1997, Cabezas wasmurdered atPinamar, Argentina's most exclusivebeach resort on theAtlantic Ocean, visited by politicians, businessmen, actors, sports figures and othercelebrities.[4]
Cabezas waskidnapped after being the first to make public photographs ofAlfredo Yabrán, apostal servicemogul. He was beaten,handcuffed,tortured, and taken to a pit in the countryside where he was he was fatally shot twice in the head. His body was placed inside a vehicle rented byNoticias, and burned.[2]
The murder occurred during the provincial government ofEduardo Duhalde in theProvince of Buenos Aires, and was seen as a possible criminal message from the police in theprovince of Buenos Aires area to its management, "They threw a corpse at me" said shortly after the event thePresidentCarlos Saul Menem,[5] who had promised to clarify the case, but there was strong criticism of him by the way the research was carried out and because of his close links withAlfredo Yabrán himself.[6][7]
It also happened just as the press in Argentina enjoyed the best public image.Noticias was and is still known for its exposures of allegedly corrupt individuals and institutions. The murder of Cabezas was viewed as an attack on independentjournalism by those institutions. The media, journalist associations, human rights groups and many lay people took to the streets to ask for swift justice; there were marches, caravans of vehicles and trains, public rallies, all sorts of homages, photo expositions. A popular slogan,No se olviden de Cabezas ("Don't forget Cabezas") became the symbol for this need of justice and a warning for those unaware of the people's frustration with impunity.[8]
The investigation led, on the one hand, to the detention of five people linked to the owner of abrothel atMar del Plata's port (they were known asLos Pepitos). On the other hand, a police informant called Carlos Redruello, a police officer called Gustavo Prellezo and four minors fromLa Plata area (calledLos Horneros) were taken in custody. In each case the public largely believed that these people were being used as scapegoats, in order to cover up maneuvers byBuenos Aires Province GovernorEduardo Duhalde. Prellezo was linked to two other policemen, Sergio Cammarata and Aníbal Luna, who had been shadowing Cabezas, and were also detained. Prellezo's wife, Silvia Belawsky (also a police officer), was revealed to have requested background information on Cabezas a few weeks before the crime.[4][2]
Two distinct lines of investigation took shape. One focused onBuenos Aires Provincial Police (Policía Bonaerense); the other on one of the prominent businessmanAlfredo Yabrán.[4][2]
Noticias published an investigation about the, alleging that Buenos Aires police's practices were plagued with corruption and illegal violence, and that they had ties toprostitution,drug trafficking, and illegalgambling. The title of this article,Maldita Policía ("Damned Police"), became the nickname of the Police service in the media.[9][10][11]
Alfredo Yabrán allowed no one to take photos of him, and was proud to claim that not even the intelligence services had one, even though he was one of the most notorious businessmen on Argentina. He had good relations with the government and a way to eliminate competition. Several journalists who had tried to get into Yabrán's secrets had been threatened or attacked.[4][2]
In 1996, José Luis Cabezas took a picture of Yabrán in Pinamar andNoticias published it, along with news about his businesses. In 1997, Cabezas and his fellow journalist Gabriel Michi continued the investigation, ultimately trying to get an interview. Cabezas and Michi then began to see signs that their research was bothering Yabrán. The murder took place a few days later.[4][2]
The trial conducted on February 2, 2000, condemned to life imprisonment all the eight members of the band called "Los Horneros": Horacio Braga, Joseph Auge, Sergio González, Héctor Retana and Gregorio Ríos, Sergio Camaratta, Aníbal Luna and Gustavo Aníbal Prellezo, but currently they have all been released.
Gustavo Prellezo, a former officer and inspector of the Buenos Aires police, was sentenced to life imprisonment, but granted house arrest on 23 September 2010 on the basis of having ahernia injury.[12]
Miguel Retana, convicted, died in prison. He was the only member convicted that confessed and accused Gustavo Prellezo of being both, the leader and shooter.[13]
Aníbal Luna, was sentenced to life imprisonment but was released and is also working in pinamar in the security firm Servicio Organizado de Seguridad (SOS).[15]
José Luis Auge was convicted, and released in 2004.
Sergio Gustavo González was sentenced to life imprisonment, but in February 2006 he was released by reduction of sentence to 20 years.
Horacio Anselmo Braga was sentenced to 18 years and was released on January 25, 2007. Several factors influenced his release, per example: he was benefited from the "2 for 1" (subtract 2 years for each year sentence processing), scored well in psychiatric reports presented good conduct and paid a deposit of 20,000 pesos to exit thePenitentiary number 9. That same day, 6,000 people gathered in Pinamar in seeking justice for Cabezas.
Alberto Gómez, Commissioner of Pinamar, was convicted after being accused of having "liberated the area" where the crime occurred
In May 2022,Netflix premiered the documentary filmThe Photographer: Murder in Pinamar, directed by Alejandro Hartmann, presenting the Cabezas Case and its aftermath in 1990s Argentina.[16][17]
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