Case file
Killing of Luis Espinoza
Background
Luis Armando Espinoza was a 31-year-old rural worker from the town of Melcho, in Tucumán province, Argentina. He was a father of six and had seventeen brothers. His death occurred during Argentina's nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.
The Incident
On May 15, 2020, Espinoza was riding a horse alongside his brother Juan near the northern town of Simoca, Tucumán, where an illegal horse race was taking place in violation of pandemic quarantine rules. Nine police officers and a municipal security guard arrived to stop the event. At least four officers struggled with Juan, and when Luis tried to defend his brother, he fell from his horse and ran. He was shot in the back with a police service weapon; the bullet entered through his left shoulder blade and pierced his lung.
His body was taken to the Monteagudo police precinct, where it remained for approximately four hours while being prepared for disposal — wrapped in plastic bags and a rug around a flagpole. It is not established whether he died from the gunshot or during the subsequent handling. The body was then placed in the trunk of a car belonging to deputy commissioner Rubén Montenegro and driven roughly 75 miles to the border of Catamarca province, where it was dropped into a ravine.
Cover-up and Discovery
On May 16, 2020, Espinoza's family attempted to file a missing-person report at the same precinct where his body had been taken, but police declined to accept the report until 72 hours had passed. After several days, an officer acknowledged a "silence pact" among colleagues and eventually disclosed the body's location. Espinoza's remains were recovered on May 22, 2020, in La Banderita, Catamarca, inside a ravine approximately 492 feet deep. Autopsy and ballistics analysis determined the fatal shot came from a Jericho 941 pistol, an Israeli-made .9mm service weapon, belonging to officer José Morales.
The case drew public comparisons to the earlier death of Santiago Maldonado, and in June 2020 the United Nations, through the OHCHR, opened an inquiry into the killing.
Legal Proceedings
Ten individuals — nine police officers and one municipal security guard — were indicted on charges including forced disappearance followed by death and kidnapping. On May 20, 2020, a judge ordered six months of pre-trial detention for six of the accused.
A trial ran from October 24, 2022, to March 28, 2023, producing nine convictions. In December 2024, Argentina's Federal Chamber of Appeals confirmed life sentences for aggravated homicide against José Alberto Morales, Héctor Rubén Montenegro, Gerardo Esteban González Rojas, and Claudio Alfredo Zelaya, who were also convicted of unlawfully depriving Juan Antonio Espinoza of his liberty. Five-year sentences for aggravated concealment against Carlos Lisandro Romano and José María Paz were also upheld. Mirian Rosalba González's sentence was reduced on appeal from 12 years to 4 years and 7 months for concealment by a public official, while the unappealed sentences of Víctor Manuel Salinas (seven years) and René Eduardo Ardiles (five years) remained unchanged.
Key facts
- Victims
- Juan Antonio Espinoza, Luis Armando Espinoza
- Date
- 2020
- Location
- Simoca, Tucumán Province, Argentina
- Case status
- solved
Case timeline
2020-05-15
Luis Espinoza is shot in the back by police near an illegal horse race in Simoca, Tucumán; his body is later concealed at a police precinct and driven to Catamarca province.
2020-05-16
Espinoza's family attempts to file a missing-person report at the same precinct where his body had been held; police initially decline to accept it.
2020-05-20
A judge orders six months of pre-trial detention for six of the ten accused.
2020-05-22
Espinoza's body is found in a ravine in La Banderita, Catamarca province.
2020-06
The United Nations, through the OHCHR, launches an investigation into the killing.
2022-10-24
Trial of the accused officers and security guard begins.
2023-03-28
Trial concludes with nine convictions.
2024-12
Federal Chamber of Appeals confirms life sentences and other convictions.
Best coverage
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People
Víctor Manuel Salinas
CONVICTEDSergeant sentenced to seven years in prison; sentence unappealed and unchanged
Juan Antonio Espinoza
VICTIMBrother of Luis Espinoza; unlawfully deprived of his liberty by police officers during the same incident
Claudio Alfredo Zelaya
CONVICTEDPolice corporal convicted of aggravated homicide and unlawful deprivation of liberty; sentenced to life imprisonment, confirmed on appeal in December 2024
Héctor Rubén Montenegro
CONVICTEDDeputy commissioner convicted of aggravated homicide and unlawful deprivation of liberty; sentenced to life imprisonment, confirmed on appeal in December 2024
José María Paz
CONVICTEDFirst corporal convicted of aggravated concealment; five-year sentence upheld on appeal in December 2024
José Alberto Morales
CONVICTEDPolice officer convicted of aggravated homicide and unlawful deprivation of liberty; sentenced to life imprisonment, confirmed on appeal in December 2024
Carlos Lisandro Romano
CONVICTEDPolice officer convicted of aggravated concealment; five-year sentence upheld on appeal in December 2024
Mirian Rosalba González
CONVICTEDPolice corporal convicted of concealment of the crime by a public official; sentence reduced on appeal from 12 years to 4 years and 7 months
Fabio Santillán
CHARGEDMunicipal security guard indicted alongside police officers for forced disappearance followed by death and kidnapping
Gerardo Esteban González Rojas
CONVICTEDPolice agent convicted of aggravated homicide and unlawful deprivation of liberty; sentenced to life imprisonment, confirmed on appeal in December 2024
Luis Armando Espinoza
VICTIM31-year-old rural worker shot and killed by police in Tucumán, Argentina, in May 2020
René Eduardo Ardiles
CONVICTEDFirst sergeant sentenced to five years in prison; sentence unappealed and unchanged
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Places
Common questions
- What happened to the victim?
- Luis Espinoza, a 31-year-old rural worker, was shot in the back by a police officer in Tucumán, Argentina, in May 2020 after being wrongly suspected of participating in an illegal horse race during COVID-19 lockdown. His body was concealed and later dumped in a ravine in neighboring Catamarca province. Nine people were convicted; convictions and life sentences for the main perpetrators were upheld on appeal in December 2024.
- Where did the killing happen?
- Simoca, Tucumán Province, Argentina.
- Who was convicted?
- Víctor Manuel Salinas (Sergeant sentenced to seven years in prison; sentence unappealed and unchanged), Claudio Alfredo Zelaya (Police corporal convicted of aggravated homicide and unlawful deprivation of liberty; sentenced to life imprisonment, confirmed on appeal in December 2024), Héctor Rubén Montenegro (Deputy commissioner convicted of aggravated homicide and unlawful deprivation of liberty; sentenced to life imprisonment, confirmed on appeal in December 2024), José María Paz (First corporal convicted of aggravated concealment; five-year sentence upheld on appeal in December 2024), José Alberto Morales (Police officer convicted of aggravated homicide and unlawful deprivation of liberty; sentenced to life imprisonment, confirmed on appeal in December 2024), Carlos Lisandro Romano (Police officer convicted of aggravated concealment; five-year sentence upheld on appeal in December 2024), Mirian Rosalba González (Police corporal convicted of concealment of the crime by a public official; sentence reduced on appeal from 12 years to 4 years and 7 months), Gerardo Esteban González Rojas (Police agent convicted of aggravated homicide and unlawful deprivation of liberty; sentenced to life imprisonment, confirmed on appeal in December 2024), and René Eduardo Ardiles (First sergeant sentenced to five years in prison; sentence unappealed and unchanged).
- What is the current status of the case?
- Status: solved. Last verified July 2026.
Related cases
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Sources
- ENCYCLOPEDICKilling of Luis EspinozaWikipedia · 2026-07-07
- PRESSContemporaneous coverage — lanacion.com.arlanacion.com.ar · 2026-07-07
- PRESSContemporaneous coverage — batimes.com.arbatimes.com.ar · 2026-07-07
Record history
- First published
- JUL 07, 2026
- Last verified against sources
- JUL 07, 2026