MENDOZA, ARGENTINA: The jury finds "Catman" guilty of murdering his mother and aunt

Gil Pereg guilty

Gil Pereg, the Israeli man who alleged mental illness and was dubbed ‘cat man’ for meowing in court, was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison for murdering his mother and aunt in 2019. 

The disturbing crime received worldwide coverage due to the cruelty of the murders and to the intriguing personality of the defendant, who received elite military training in Israel and has an IQ of 180.

The 12 person jury of Mendoza, Argentina on Wednesday needed only two and a half hours of deliberations to reject his insanity defence and found him guilty as charged. 

THE VERDICT

He was accused of having brutally murdered in December 2019 his mother Pyrhia Sauroussy (63) and his aunt, Lily Pereg (54), who had come to visit him to his home in Guaymallén, Mendoza, where their bodies were mutilated and buried. 

The case shocked the international Jewish community around the world. For that reason, and at the demand of the main international news networks and at the request of the victim's family, it was broadcasted live on YouTube to Israel and Australia with simultaneous subtitles in English and Hebrew. 

Observers says it is the most famous jury trial in the world of all that have been made in Argentina. 

Worldwide coverage

Pyrhia lived in Israel; Lily in Australia, where she was serving as a prestigious associate professor of microbiology at the University of New England. 

Gil Pereg became a celebrity 3 days ago when he was thrown out of the courtroom, after refusing the judge's order to stop meowing like a feline during his trial.

"Mr. Gil Pereg, before the entry of the jury I must warn you that if you want to remain in the courtroom, you should do so in silence, with respect and decorum," Judge Laura Guajardo says before ejecting him.

WATCH

He was arrested and charged with homicide after the remains of his mother, Pyrhia Sarusi, 63, and her sister Dr. Lily Pereg, 54, an associate professor of microbiology at the University of New England in Australia, were found on his property in the city of Mendoza in January 2019.

The two were traveling in Argentina at the time of their murders. They had been missing for two weeks before their bodies were found under debris in Gilad Pereg’s home.

Pereg’s uncle said at the time that he was mentally ill, in financial dire straits, and lived in squalor with dozens of cats.

“He’s a real genius, he always was an excellent student, and got both his undergraduate and masters degrees from the Technion,” Moshe Pereg told reporters. But Gil’s behavior radically changed in 2006, he said. “I think he suffered a mental breakdown that went undiagnosed.”

After the breakdown, Moshe Pereg said his nephew turned to online gambling and ended up in significant debt. He left Israel for Argentina a short time later to escape his mounting financial problems.

He said Gil Pereg had little contact with his mother, though she continued to support him financially over the years. Despite the financial help, Moshe Pereg said Gil “lived like a homeless person” in a small house with dozens of cats.

Read more:

- The Times of Israel (11/3/21): "Israeli man convicted in Argentina of murdering mother, aunt" (see)

How does a jury deliberate? How does it make its decisions? The extraordinary example of the Mendoza´s jury in Argentina

The culminating moment: the 4 defendants,
standing to receive the verdict

On Saturday, we witnessed -once again- an incredible display of civic commitment and community wisdom: the Tunuyán jury, at the Uco Valley (Mendoza province), deliberated for two days in a row to reach a verdict in the resounding Hisa/Carleti case. But the most remarkable thing we would like to point out was the deliberative method the jury chose to make its decision (see). Something that impressed everybody in the courtroom, and society as well. 

It didn't matter that it was a Friday night after eleven hours of deliberation, nor that they would have to spend the night in a hotel in the middle of the pandemic. No one was impatient to continue deliberating on a Saturday for another five hours. The Tunuyán jury decided -with great wisdom- to deliberate as long as necessary to reach a unanimous verdict for the four defendants. 

Hundreds of suspicions fell on this jury. Due to its complexity, the power and influence of the main accused, and the victim herself, it was not just any case. Even the jury bill of Mendoza -passed in December 2018- was in jeopardy because of this case. Hisa didn´t want to be tried by juries. 

Also, the prosecution doubted whether they could find twelve impartial people from the Tunuyán community to carry out the trial and made an intent to change the venue. It was held inadmissible, since it is an exclusive right of the defendant (section 118 of the Constitution). It was said that it was going to be impossible to find impartial juries in Tunuyán. Another serious mistake.

Again, contrary to all the prejudices that are usually poured out on the jury, reality proved otherwise. The jury was born precisely in the small communities of Medieval England, where everyone knows each other. That is precisely the judgment of the peers, that of the neighbors.

COMPOSITION OF THE JURY FROM TUNUYÁN

The jury in the Hisa/Carleti case was made up of the following people, all of them between 23 and 50 years of age: two school teachers, three housewives, two students, two unemployed people, a restaurant waiter, a farmer, a rural laborer, a rancher, a carrier, a farm administrator, and a construction worker. 

This remarkable jury demonstrated what is a basic premise for those of us who study juries with the method of the social sciences: there is no better way to “predict” the verdict of the jury than to analyze the weight and value of the evidence. 

The jury never decides by their emotions, nor by grandiloquent speeches by the parties; the jury, as reaffirmed by all the empirical studies in the world, decides its verdicts on the strength of the evidence presented at trial. 

The Tunuyán jury deliberated for long hours and two days in the framework of what the Social Science for Jury Decision Making calls "an evidence-driven deliberation". It is distinguished from "verdict-driven deliberations", which are those in which the jury organizes its discussions by quickly voting for the initial verdict preferences of each of its members. The latter occurs more in those juries that admit non-unanimous verdicts.

In evidence-driven deliberations, jurors postpone their discussions to the end and, first of all, conduct a thorough and detailed analysis of the evidence. After this, they often engage in robust deliberations until they reach unanimity. This is what the Tunuyán jury did. 

In this type of cases, juries are immersed in the deliberation experience in a way that, for those of us who never participate in them, it is very difficult to understand. But the truth is that they do it daily in our country. 

The jurors are really willing to listen to the arguments of the rest of their fellow jurors, to check their own understandings, to discuss all the details of the case. They make all the necessary efforts to achieve consensus, so that the twelve people are convinced of the analysis carried out. 

For this, they take all the time they need, whatever is necessary, even more than 24 hours. Certainly, the demand for unanimity required in Mendoza reinforces these mechanisms. 

The famous deliberation in 12 Angry Men. It started out
as verdict-driven, and ended up as evidence-driven.

The unanimity rule makes evidence-driven deliberation more likely that verdict-driven, as is often the case with juries deliberating under majority verdict rules. 

In this sense, only unanimity encourages juries to strive to analyze the evidence and try to build shared senses of justice. When this happens, when the jury manages to deliberate around all of the evidence, like the Tunuyán jury did, the verdict emerges with an indisputable social force. 

And with it, the jury achieves unmatched peace of mind and civic satisfaction. Jurors know that this was the correct decision, because all of them, driven by the evidence, arrived at it together. 

Reaching a unanimous verdict is not a feat, but a need for the jury and for society. Such a decision, in a delicate and high profile case like this one, is clearly presented as legitimate and unquestionable for the community.

MENDOZA (ARGENTINA): Leonardo Hisa was sentenced to life imprisonment and will return to prison for the brutal murder for hire of his wife Norma Carleti

 

The four killers and the victim

Today ended one of the most important jury trials in the country and in the history of Mendoza. It is one of those remarkable trials that will set a precedent for the jury of the Argentine Republic. 

After 20 days of hearings, 48 hours of deliberation of the jury, which was sequestered in a hotel to avoid extraneous pressure, at the world-famous Uco Valley, the Tunuyán jury delivered a unanimous verdict of guilt against all the accused.

One more proof that the jury is the most independent and impartial judicial body that exists, even in the same venue where this brutal murder took place and where the four defendants live, as guaranteed by section 118 of the National Constitution of the Argentine Republic. 

Our Framers envisioned something —in their infinite wisdom—, which today is proven true: justice in the hands of the People is a great thing.

WATCH THE VERDICT

and HISA´s BAIL REVOKED

THE VERDICT

It was a memorable verdict. A feat in every way. To take the hat off to this jury of super smart citizens made up of teachers, employees, workers and professionals from the area. 

The jury stoically endured three weeks of trial, and heard more than 80 witnesses, arguments of the eleven lawyers, decisive audios (ver) and exhibits of all kinds. When it came the time to deliberate, the jury did so with a level of responsibility, depth in the examination of evidence, commitment to its work, and a superlative common sense of justice. . 

THE DELIBERATIVE METHOD

THAT THE JURY CHOSE

The jury deliberated for more than 14 hours between Friday and Saturday to finally reach a unanimous decision. The members of the jury embarked spontaneously in a full evidence driven deliberation. This was easily observed by all those who witnessed the trial: on Friday, May 14, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., they rigorously analyzed all the evidence, especially the audios. They did not debate nor discuss. They reviewed thoroughly every single piece of evidence for more than 12 hrs. 

They had dinner and went to sleep in a hotel to avoid any influence or pressure. This was the first sequestration in the history of jury trials in Argentina. On Saturday, May 15, they fully engaged in a robust deliberation until a unanimous verdict was reached for each one of the four defendants. They´ve made it. They started at 9 a.m. and ended at 1 p.m.

The jury was able to perfectly distinguish the roles of the four defendants and decided that the prosecution's evidence proved beyond a reasonable doubt that these four defendants brutally murdered Norma Carleti with 55 stab wounds. 

Leonardo Hisa as instigator of the murder for hire (he promised in payment 300 thousand Argentine pesos and a Ford Ranger truck); Juan C. Guerrero as main accomplice for being the organizer and recruiter of the hitmen (his two sons); Kevin Guerrero as the perpetrator of the murder and Alexis Guerrero as a secondary accomplice. 

We have said it over and over again in these pages: the jury has already amply demonstrated the myth —with which some still attack it— "that it is incapable of solving complex legal problems."  All it needs is good evidence, competent attorneys, and correct instructions from the judge. The innate common sense of the citizens will always be in charge of bringing justice to the specific case.

The population has no doubts. 80% want jury trials.

THE JUDGE´S INSTRUCTIONS

Judge David Magniafico, of outstanding labor
in his first ever jury trial

We present here in PDF the instructions that circuit judge David Magniafico gave to the jury. Also the verdict form that the jury took to the jury room. We are sharing them so that readers and researchers have an excellent example of how a jury is charged in a high profile case like this one. 

The judge successfully carried out his first jury trial, the most difficult in history so far in Mendoza. He masterfully solved very complex situations during the 3 weeks. In the end, after so much accumulated tension, he was moved when he dismissed the jury in his farewell instruction. His voice cracked and he could barely continue, thrilling the entire room. A gesture that shows his true self as the fine judge he really is (ver min 8:50).

The same must be said of the OFIJU, the judicial office that organized a trial of these characteristics in the middle of the pandemic. A remarkable professionalism, which is central to an oral and public accusatory system. 

Download instructions from the judge to the jury: Instrucciones Finales - Caso Carleti

Download the verdict form: Formulario de Veredicto - Caso Carleti

THE SENTENCING

Prosecutor Fernando Guzzo, in his most
resounding triumph before a popular jury

The powerful businessman and politician, Leonardo Hisa, was found guilty of being the instigator of the murder of his wife Norma Carleti, who that fateful Monday was going to file a divorce claim and leave him without half of his considerable assets. The jury found him guilty of the crime of murder for hire in the first degree. The judge imposed life imprisonment on him, immediately revoked his bail, and sent him to jail.

“The jury has spoken. After a fair trial, he was found guilty of our worst crime by their peers," said the prosecutor Jorge Quiroga. "The risk of flight being at home is very high. He must be immediately sent to a prison”.

Second chair prosecutor Jorge Quiroga,
of outstanding perfomance

Other times...

The hit men hired by Hisa had different consequences. Juan Carlos Guerrero (the organizer) was found guilty. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. Kevin Guerrero (the perpetrator); life imprisonment. Finally, Alexis Guerrero (secondary accomplice), 5 years in prison. 

HISA´S TESTIMONY

                                                                  Video: Hisa's statement.

¿WHY WAS NORMA KILLED?

There has never been a jury trial in Argentina that lasted so long: jury trials normally take no more than 3 days. In this case, given the seriousness of the case and the people involved, the trial took place over three weeks. It was not just another trial. We are talking about a heinous crime that shocked the Nation, ordered by someone with a lot of political and economic power. 

Leonardo Hisa is a powerful businessman and politician in the province. Together with Norma Carleti, they built a multi-million dollar fruit and vegetable empire in the Uco Valley. But Hisa's ambition, lust, and greed were greater. He wanted everything.

Norma Carleti, ex wife and Hisa´s victim

March 2018 was the moment chosen by Hisa to perpetrate the crime. He had wanted to divorce his wife, Carleti, for a long time, but he knew that he would lose a large part of his fortune and his power. So he devised the sinister plan. He summoned the foreman of his farm, Juan Carlos Guerrero, and, without hesitation, he asked him directly to get rid of his wife. He simply asked him to kill her. In exchange for this favor, he promised him a truck and ARS 300,000, to which Guerrero accepted.

Guerrero was in charge of organizing all the preparations to kill Norma Carleti, and for this, he summoned his sons, Kevin and Alexis Guerrero, who were famous for their criminal activities, to execute her. Kevin was the one who was in charge of assassinating Carleti, while Alexis Guerrero was the one who drove the vehicle.

Carleti was surprised in her house by Kevin Guerrero and killed with 55 stab wounds. Once dead, he cut her throat. Nothing was stolen.

The hitmen Guerrero

THE CLOSING ARGUMENTS

 

Prosecutors Guzzo and Quiroga had a simple and clear theory of the case, which managed to prevail over the defense theory, which was divided. The defense of Hisa, led by Daniel and Sofía Sosa Arditi, ruled out that it was not a murder planned by their client. The argument was that Hisa had nothing to do with what happened and that this event was one more of the many acts of insecurity that are experienced day by day, committed by the Guerreros. 

Prosecutor Guzzo compared the four defendants and the victim to pieces in a chess game: a powerful image that perfectly sums up the event.

"Hisa as the king, Juan Carlos Guerrero as the rook, Kevin and Alexis as the pawns, and Norma Carleti as the queen who was knocked down. They all worked for Hisa. It was one for all and all for him”.

Víctor Ábalos, private prosecutor representing the Carleti family, emphasized the gender, psychological, sexual and economic violence that Hisa exerted, according to a letter that the victim left on a notebook, from which Victor Ábalos extracted some passages that he read before the jury.

Pablo Cazabán, defender of the Guerrero brothers, admitted that Kevin was involved in the murder of Carleti, but that it was a voluntary manslaughter. As to Alexis, he claimed that he never entered the house.

Nayda Moreno Burgos and Federico Alisiardi, public defenders of Juan Carlos Guerrero, tried to reduce his participation in the event and to clarify a previous judicial confessions (later retracted) in which he stated that "Hisa wil have one day to admit that he ordered the killing of his wife."

CLOSING ARGUMENTS 

The jurors, after the long deliberation, considered all them guilty as charged.

More News: 

- Clarín (15/05/2021): "El femicidio de Norma Carleti: perpetua para su ex marido, un empresario que contrató a tres empleados para matarla". (Ver aquí)

- Mendoza Online (15/05/2021): "Caso Carleti: Hisa y los Guerrero fueron declarados culpables". (Ver aquí)

- Mendoza Post (15/05/2021): "Condenaron a Hisa y a los Guerrero como culpables por el homicidio de Norma Carleti". (Ver aquí)

- Los Andes (15/05/2021): "Crimen de Norma Carleti: Leonardo Hisa fue condenado como instigador, y Kevin Guerrero como autor". (Ver aquí)

- Mendoza On line (15/05/21): "Caso Carleti: Hisa fue condenado a perpetua y volverá a la cárcel" (ver)

MENDOZA, Argentina: Governor Suárez announced the expansion of the jury to more crimes and the implementation of the civil jury

Rodolfo Suárez, Governor of Mendoza

The Governor of Mendoza, Rodolfo Suárez, gave his first public address before a joint session of the Mendoza Legislature to open the 180th legislative period. There he announced a set of measures for justice reform that he will carry out during his term. The news that there will be trial by jury for certain civil cases, eg. recovery and return of assets obtained corruptly by public officials, shocked the judicial community of the country.

It is an extraordinary innovation that deserves full support and that will put Mendoza at the forefront of Latin America.

Suárez and former Governor Alfredo Cornejo 

Trial by jury in Mendoza is a resounding success. The almost fifteen jury trials carried out during the 2019-2020 period have had a great impact and acceptance in society. Furthermore, there has not been a single obstacle in its implementation, thanks to the commitment of the Supreme Court, the judges, prosecutors, lawyers and court personnel. 

The trial by jury law of Mendoza is structurally brilliant, since it maintains the characteristics of the classic jury trial model: 12 citizens and gender equality (6 men and 6 women), led by a professional judge who will instruct the jury on the law, a unanimous and final verdict, a voir dire hearing with four peremptories, and a new trial in the case of a hung jury (see).

As we already reported here, the jury in Mendoza was implemented by former Governor Alfredo Cornejo, with decisive support at the time from the political opposition embodied in current senator Anabel Fernández Sagasti (see). 

For this reason, Governor Suárez has decided to continue along the same line and deepen it. The Undersecretary of Justice, Marcelo D'Agostino (the key person in the Government), presented to the governor the plan to expand the criminal jury to more serious offences. Until now, only murder in the first degree cases were tried, but from now on they will be extended to several other crimes and felonies.

As we have already said, the Governor also announced that he plans to implement trial by jury in the civil jurisdiction with the aim of expanding citizen participation, starting with the acts of corruption due to the extinction of the civil domain. Thus, for example, cases such as the plaintiff against the local Tupac Amaru leader, Nélida Rojas and her husband for irregularities in the delivery of social housing, could be carried out with a twelve person and unanimous civil jury.

Undersecretary of Justice, Marcelo D´Agostino

"With this we will be able to expand the participation of people in the field of Justice," they explained from the ruling party.

Read more:

-Diario El Sol: "Las reformas claves que Suárez impulsará en la Justicia" (ver)

First jury trial in Mendoza, Argentina: a unanimous jury found mountain guide Peteán Pocovi guilty of attempted femicide and murder in the first degree

Mendoza wrote today one of the golden pages in the judicial history of Argentina: a unanimous jury found Sebastián Petean Pocoví (34) guilty of all four charges. The trial had inmense repercussion in Argentina.

The facts

The incident occurred on May 25, 2018, in the midst of a siesta in Mendoza, when the man stabbed his wife's abdomen, arm and back with a hunting knife. He fled in a Ford Ranger truck at full speed, almost killed four policemen during his escape and, when two other policemen on a motorcycle tried to stop him, he accelerated and ran over them at a 100 miles an hour. The two officers died immediately. His uncontrolled flight ended when he lost control of the vehicle.

"The defendant used his truck as the murder weapon", said prosecutor Guzzo to the jury during his closing statement.

The two unfortunate police officers

Petean´s wife, Carolina Seser (33) underwent a serious surgery and the doctors managed to save the lives of the twins. Today those girls, 8 months old, are called Lara and Ema, and carry their mother's last name, since Petean doubts fatherhood.

Judge Rafael Escot

"He was screaming at me that he was going to kill me and the twins", she said to the jury. "He was heavily intoxicated with cocaine and booze. The discussion began because of his "sick jealousy." He said that the girls were not his. "He was paranoid and even accused me of going out with a cousin of my grandmother, a 74-year-old man with whom I had no dealings and who had just arrived from Buenos Aires#, said the woman.

During the attack, the family dog was also wounded in the skull. "I only remember that while he was stabbing me, the dog was barking, jumping and trying to defend me. The loyal animal was also a victim," she said.

The prosecution team

The verdict

After more than three hours of deliberation and inmense anticipation throughout the province, the jury announced that it had its decision.

Previously, the jurors requested to watch again two fundamental videos of the chase in route 40 on that fateful May 25th, 2018. Before a crowded room and in the middle of an unbearable tension, presiding judge Rafael Escot had the defendant stand up to receive the verdict from his peers.

"We, the jury, unanimously find Petean Pocoví guilty of murder in the first degree, attempted murder and attempted femicide as charged"

With his head down, Petean Pocoví received one by one, like crushing blows, the four unanimous guilty verdicts that sentenced him to life. Prosecutor Fernando Guzzo, and private prosecutors Claudia Vélez and Eduardo de Oro sighed with relief.

The governor reacted immediately

The political and social impact was impressive. The media, newspapers, radios and families from Mendoza did nothing but talk about the verdict of the jury. The newspapers immediately echoed the news, spurred by the jury wave that invades the country.

It is indeed a momentous week in Argentina for its new jury systems. Four days ago, doctor Villar Cataldo, who killed an armed thief in self defense, was found not guilty. The verdict captivated the country. Only two days ago, the Supreme Court of Justice ruled that the provincial jury systems are consistent with the Constitution. It was the first ruling in 165 years dealing with jury trials.

Massive instant media reports

After the jury´s unanimous verdict, all the tension accumulated during the four days of the trial was released. The relatives of the victims broke out in tears. Among touching embraces with their lawyers, the wife of one of the victims said: "My little son now knows that his father's murderer is going to receive the appropiate punishment".

The relatives and friends of the police officers after the verdict

The trial had an unprecedented transparency in the history of the country's judiciary. The opening and closing statements and the verdict were broadcast live on television and the Internet. Thanks to the presiding judge and the State Supreme Court, the entire country was able to follow what happened in the splendid courtroom, specially prepared for this historic moment.

Also, thanks to a joint initiative between Prof. Valerie Hans from Cornell University (New York), INECIP, AAJJ and the State Supreme Court all the jurors, judge and attorneys filled in a questionnaire after the trial. The new jury system in Mendoza will be subject of empirical research from the very start.

As usual, the unanimous verdict of the jury sent messages in all directions: towards those who fight gender violence, inside the police and the entire judicial system. The citizenship demonstrated, once again, that they were up to the challenge. The jurors also demonstrated, after the ruling of the Supreme Court, the wisdom of the ancient unanimity rule. Nobody holds now any doubt after a pronouncement of twelve out of twelve persons.

The defense attorney said that he would waive the appeal.

Photo Gallery

The reaction of the defendant when he heard the verdict

The defense team. The defendant could never hold
anybody´s gaze during the whole trial

Prosecutor Fernando Guzzo

MORE PICTURES 

Tremendous expectation minutes after the verdict

The jury room

Waiting for the verdict outside the courthouse

The media 

This was the touching scene when the jury returned the verdict

Private prosecutor Eduardo de Oro and the wife of one of the police officers

Eduardo de Oro, almost in tears talks to his client

The police greets the prosecutors

Eduardo de Oro and Andés Harfuch, live for Channel 7

Undersecretary of Justice Marcelo D´Agostino

The jury box

Andrés Harfuch and presiding judge Rafael Escot,
inside the jury box after the trial

Read the news here:

Mdzol (05/03/19): "The jury spoke: this is how they convicted Petean Pocovi" (ver)

- Mdzol (05/03/19): "How was the verdict against Petean Pocovi reached" (ver)

- Los Andes (05/03/19): "Governor Alfredo Cornejo celebrated the first conviction of a jury in Mendoza" (ver)

- Los Andes (05/03/19): "In the first trial by jury, Petean Pocoví was sentenced to life imprisonment" (ver)

- El Sol (05/03/19): "The popular jury found Petean Pocoví guilty and was sentenced to life imprisonment" (ver)

- Clarín (05/04/19): "A jury convicted the mountain guide who stabbed his pregnant wife and killed two policemen in his escape to life imprisonment" (ver)

- La Nación (05/04/19): "Guilty": the decision of the first jury in Mendoza" (ver)

MENDOZA, Argentina: Jury trial for horrifying homicide of two Israeli tourists

The beatiful province of Mendoza, in Argentina, famous for the Malbec wine, still awaits for the implementation of jury trials in the next few months. However, it has already gained worldwide interest with a case that shook the country, Israel, Australia and the whole Jewish community around the globe. The case is known in Israel as "Mendoza´s Devil" and it will be decided by a jury of twelve.

The beatiful picture of the victims in jocular mood that became viral

Today, Nicholas Gil Pereg (37, born in Israel) is charged with the aggravated homicide of two Israeli tourists. His mother, Pyrhia Sarusi (63) and his aunt, Lily Pereg (54, a prestigious Australian microbiology professor), who went missing for a week and a half, before the leads indicated that their son and uncle was the main suspect.

The disturbing crime received worldwide coverage due to the cruelty of the crime and to the intriguing personality of the defendant, who received elite military training in Israel and has an IQ of 180.

However, when he moved to Mendoza he lived his life as a homeless. He had dead cats dissected in his property, where weapons, ammunition and a large amount of cash (near one million US dollars) were also found.

Terrifying: Pereg poses where he buried both victims

Many observers say that he is trying to play the card of an alleged insanity. Pereg appeared for his bail application hearing, where he displayed incredibly odd behaviour: "Miau, miau", he meowed loudly at the judge (watch Gil Pereg meowing). Asked for his name, he answered: "Floda Reltih" (Adolf Hitler backwards). When he was asked if he had children, he replied: "my 37 cats". He finally urinated on the floor, forcing the court to adjourn in order to clean and ventilate the courtroom. He will remain custody until the jury trial.

A worker cleans Pereg´s urine

Gaspar Grieco, a journalist from Diario Perfil and BA Times wrote an outstanding article in the newspaper with all the details surrounding this femicide. The article (in English) can be accessed by clicking on the following link. (Trial by jury, for a grizzly murder).

Hundreds of people in Mendoza, whom are not familiarized with the jury system, have been contacting the local Judiciary and government to inquire about the possibility of becoming part of the jury panel. In addition, it is expected that leading press from across the globe will be accredited to witness the whole trial. So far, the CNN, Fox, BBC, EFE, Reuters, FrancePress and other international journals, especially from Australia and Israel, actively reported about the case.

Global media coverage

With this case, and through a provincial jury law that has been thoroughly designed, Mendoza will now have the opportunity to display the implementation of the jury system in Argentina to the world.

It is remarkable that the horrifying homicide of two women will be tried before a panel of six men and six women, as requested by the jury law. The equal gender composition represents a unique feature that Argentina has established by law, and now the world will have the opportunity to witness this novel feature fully operational.

Related links:

- The Sydney Morning Herald (02/03/19) "Mendoza murders: judge to decide if alleged killer can see his mother's body" (see)

- Daily Mail UK (02/23/19) "Nephew, 36, accused of murdering his mother and Australian aunt in Argentina meows like a cat, urinates on the floor and claims he does not remember his age in bizarre court appearance" (see)

- BA Times (02/23/19) "Trial by jury for a grizzly murder" (see)