Murder of Fernando Báez Sosa
Fernando José Báez Sosa (2 March 2001 – 18 January 2020), an 18-year old Argentine law student, was beaten to death at the Le Brique nightclub in Villa Gesell, Buenos Aires Province, on 18 January 2020 by a group of eight rugby players from Zárate, Buenos Aires. The case attracted significant nationwide media attention due to the violent nature of the crime and the extensive footage spread on social media. The murder has also been dubbed by Argentine media as the crime of the rugbiers and the crime of Villa Gesell.
| Murder of Fernando Báez Sosa | |
|---|---|
Protestor with sign demanding justice for Báez Sosa's murder, January 2022 | |
| Location | Le Brique, Villa Gesell, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina |
| Coordinates | 37°15′S 56°59′W |
| Date | 18 January 2020 c. 4:44 a.m. |
Attack type | Murder by beating |
| Victim | Fernando Báez Sosa, 18 |
| Perpetrators |
|
| Verdict | All perpetrators guilty |
| Convictions | Life imprisonment:
|
| Charges | Doubly-aggravated homicide |
On 6 February 2023, the Tribunal Criminal N.° 1 de Dolores declared all eight rugbiers guilty of aggravated homicide, declaring five of them (Máximo Thomsen, Ciro Pertossi, Luciano Pertossi, Matías Benicelli, and Enzo Comelli) "co-perpetrators" and sentencing them to life imprisonment. The remaining three (Lucas Pertossi, Blas Cinalli and Ayrton Viollaz) were declared "secondary participants" and sentenced to 15 years in prison.