Four men have been sentenced to prison for the March 2012 murder of Daniel Zamudio. The three-judge panel presiding over the case agreed that the four men killed Zamudio out of homophobia, sparking national outrage and a new law. On March 3, 2012 Patricio Ahumada, Alejandro Angulo Tapia, Raul Lopez Fuentes and Fabian Mora-Mora killed Zamudio by beating him with glass bottles, burning him with cigarettes and breaking his arm with a rock. The four men then abandoned Zamudio in a park to die of his injuries.
Patricio Ahumada was accused of being the ring leader of the attack on Zamudio and sentenced to life in prison by the judges. The three other men involved with the murder were given lesser sentences. Alejandro Angulo Tapia and Raul Lopez Fuentes were both given 15-years-in prison for their part in the murder. Fabian Mora-Mora was given only seven years in jail. Members of Daniel Zamudio's family applauded as the sentences were read. Ahumada is said to have stared defiantly at the Zamudio family as the sentences were read.
Before being escorted out of the courtroom by police Ahumada shouted at the judges saying they were putting an innocent man in jail. Rolando Jimenez the President of the Gay Liberation and Integration Movement in Chile told the Associated Press he was not happy with the outcome and believed all four men should have been given life sentences. "This leaves a bitter taste in my mouth because they deserve much stiffer sentences, unfortunately Chile's legislation doesn't allow it. We're tired of fighting to end the brutal attacks on people because of their sexual orientation."
Daniel Zamudio's mother also agreed that her son's killers deserved harsher sentences. Outside the courtroom Jacqueline Vera told reporters: "The four of them should have gotten life in prison because they were all part of the beating of Daniel. I just want them to rot in prison for what they did. Let them dry up behind bars." Hate crimes against gay men and women is a common occurrence in Chile. Just one week ago a 21-year-old gay man was beaten up in a town south of Santiago.
The attackers cut out the 21-year-old's eye with a knife. The man is still in the hospital fighting for his life. Chile had been trying to pass an anti-discrimination act for seven years but it became stuck in Congress. Following the death of Daniel Zamudio, Chilean president Sebastian Pinera placed the act on the fast track and it was adopted into law last year. The anti-discrimination act will allow people to file lawsuits claiming discrimination as well as allow judges to pass hate crime sentences for more violent crimes.
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