Terror without bars: Pablo Laurta intimidates the family of his victims from the Gualeguaychú prison

By William Varela

The feeling of protection that a maximum security cell should provide has faded for the relatives of Luna Giardina and Mariel Zamudio. In the last few hours, a scandal broke out that puts surveillance in the Entre Ríos prison unit under the microscope: the use of technology by Pablo Laurta prison to continue the harassment against those who survived their criminal raid.

According to the complaint formalized by lawyer Marina Romano, the aggressor has managed to circumvent internal controls to send communications full of arrogance and promises of early freedom. "It is a desperate situation; the system seems to be on the side of the perpetrator while the family lives with their hearts in their mouths," said the lawyer.

Pablo Laurta prison: The structural failure that allows harassment

Access to external communication by highly dangerous criminals represents one of the greatest debts of the current prison administration. Laurta, who is being prosecuted for a triple homicide that included the dismemberment of a worker and the murder of two women, would have used this vacuum of control to send phrases such as “sooner or later the truth will be known,” generating a climate of panic in the intimate environment of the victims.

This behavior is not new in the profile of the accused. Before perpetrating the double femicide in Córdoba, he was already facing numerous complaints of violence and a perimeter restriction that turned out to be a dead letter. The fact that today, while behind bars, he maintains the ability to exert psychological violence on family members demonstrates a critical vulnerability in custody protocols.

A blood history and the ineffectiveness of previous measures

The tragedy that precedes these threats is cruelty that is difficult to process. On October 8 of last year, Laurta began a chain of deaths that began with the deception and subsequent murder of the driver Martín Palacio, whose vehicle was used to escape after executing Giardina and Zamudio. The viciousness with which Palacio's remains were distributed in different geographical locations already marked the profile of an individual who does not recognize moral or legal limits.

Although Luna Giardina had an anti-panic button and judicial measures in its favor, the state structure failed to protect it. Today, history seems to repeat itself: the family demands that the isolation of the criminal be effective to prevent fear from being the only constant in their lives. The prosecutor's office has taken action on the matter, officially notifying the victims of the start of proceedings for these new threats that "make a mockery of justice", according to the words of the complaint.