The hearing of witnesses in the 11 March 2016 murder of former UASD rector Mateo Aquino Febrillet continues. The District Attorney has accused Fenatrado truckers association president, Blas Peralta of the murder.
Peralta had maintained his innocence until two witnesses (Geraldo Bautista and Franklin Venegas) who were in the vehicle with him on that day, gave their version of the murder that incriminates Peralta. Following the testimonies of these two, Peralta came forth to admit his responsibility in the murder, but denied he had intentionally tried to kill Mateo Aquino Febrillet. He would later confirm this in a paid advertisement in the local media on Monday, 2 July 2017.
The District Attorney of the National District, Yeni Berenice Reynoso, disregarded the regret expressed by Blas Peralta in the paid advertisement of an open letter. She said the “mea culpa”, did not contain a single word of truth as the witnesses have proven. She said that it is not true that Blas Peralta was a friend of the former rector of the UASD, Mateo Aquino Febrillet, such as he said at the latest hearing. She also said that it was not true that Peralta did not know who were in the vehicle against which he admitted firing shots.
The District Attorney said that neither is it true that the one who initiated the argument in the Mirador del Sur Park restaurant was the former candidate for deputy Eduardo Montas. She pointed out that the meeting was held in this public place because of the violence that Peralta had exhibited during the electoral campaign. She said that the transportation impresario set the tone for the violent arguments. She said: “This sort of conduct, according to the Penal Code becomes criminal and is called murder and the Code punishes it with 30 years in prison.” She said the prosecution would ask for the maximum jail term of 30 years.
Diario Libre reports that witness Eduardo Montás declared on Tuesday, 4 July 2017 in court that he saw Blas Peralta point a gun to the vehicle in which he was driving with former UASD rector Mateo Aquino Febrillet and later heard the shots that injured him, a secetary and killed Aquino Febrillet.
He said when they approached the police station located in the Parque Mirador del Sur was when the shots were fired. “I look, see that vehicle, and whom is sitting in the front seat moves as if he had a gun and I see that it is Blas Peralta. I saw that it was Blas Peralta, he was sitting in the front passenger seat. I got down. Immediately after I got down the shots were fired, two or three. Two shots. One hit the secretary, another injured me in the arm,” he stated.
During the same Tuesday hearing evidence was presented, including the telephone tapes of the conversations between former colonel Rafael Herrera Peña with Geraldo Bautista (who accompanied Blas Peralta in the vehicle), and that of Geraldo Bautista with Blas Peralta and his lawyer, and another of Herrera Peña with Peralta. The telephone conversation where he admits he fired the shots was taped because Peralta inadvertently left the line open.
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Listin Diario
Listin Diario
Diario Libre
Diario Libre
Listin Diario
6 July 2017
