A man is accused of beating his wife to near death on their way home from a wedding before crashing their car in a river to ‘finish the job’ and cover his tracks.
Javier Cerfoglio, 39, and his partner, Magalí Vera, 34, had attended a friend’s marriage where they were reportedly seen embroiled in a heated row.
On their way home from the event, Cerfoglio allegedly beat the victim unconscious in the street.
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CCTV images show the alleged assault taking place at around 4.25am on Sunday (1 Dec).
He is then accused of dragging his wife’s motionless body into their car before crashing it in the Quequén Grande River in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina.
The vehicle was found upside down in the water with the interior submerged.
Cerfoglio survived the crash with minor injuries.
However, the emergency services had to retrieve the victim’s body from the crashed car.
The authorities initially believed that the victim drowned in a road accident.
Although the autopsy confirmed the cause of death as “asphyxia by submersion”, the report also stated that she had been violently assaulted prior to the accident.
The post-mortem said she had suffered blows to her skull, face and neck.
Investigators also reviewed nearby CCTV cameras in an attempt to reconstruct the moments before the car crashed in the river.
The couple’s red Honda Fit, which was driven by Cerfoglio, was allegedly observed slowing down before turning right and advancing towards the river.
The immediate area where the car ended up in the water was out of reach of the cameras.
Cerfoglio said he crashed after losing control of the vehicle.
However, the police suspect that Cerfoglio drove into the river intentionally.
As a result, he has been placed under arrest by the police and currently faces a charge of aggravated homicide.
In addition, the authorities received a witness report from a local resident who claimed to have seen the suspect assaulting Vera before the crash.
The statement said the suspect “beat her badly” before “grabbing her and forcing her into the car”.
Furious locals staged a protest in front of the council offices under the slogan “it was not an accident” at 5pm on Tuesday (3 Dec).
Vera worked as a consumer information official for the local council before leaving her role to devote herself to her passion, baking.
She even made the wedding cake for her friend’s nuptials, as reported by Need To Know.
The bride wrote on social media: “If I knew this was going to be the last time I saw you, I would have hugged you tighter.”
Cerfoglio is being held in custody as the investigation continues.
Vera leaves behind a 12-year-old son.
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