Main suspect in femicide of Agostina Jalabert arrested in Oregon
Juan Manuel Reverter, accused of murdering Argentine model Agostina Jalabert in Playa del Carmen in February 2023, has been deported to Argentina after being captured by US authorities. He faces preventative detention whilst his extradition to Mexico is processed.
Captured in Oregon and deported to Argentina
Juan Manuel Reverter, 38, was detained on 23 July in Deschutes County, Oregon, according to elpais.com. The arrest was carried out by the United States Marshals Service, Interpol Washington, the Homeland Security Investigations Office and the Border Patrol. Reverter was transferred to the Tacoma Northwest immigration detention centre for lacking legal authorisation to reside in the country. On 31 October he was deported to Argentina, where he was arrested immediately upon entry due to a red notice from Interpol and an outstanding detention request from Mexican authorities.
The crime of February 2023
Agostina Jalabert, a model and content creator, was found dead in the bathroom of the apartment she shared with Reverter in Playa del Carmen on 18 February 2023. Her sister Candela discovered the body showing signs of asphyxiation and torture. Reverter claimed that although he was in the dwelling, he had neither seen nor heard anything. The Quintana Roo Public Prosecutor's Office initially investigated the case as a suicide and released him after a brief interrogation. When the office changed the classification to femicide, Reverter had already left Mexico and was at large.
Three years as a fugitive in the United States
For three years, the suspect remained in United States territory at liberty, working and going about his daily life. The Jalabert family located him through social media and a network of citizens who helped them track him down. Candela Jalabert recounts that these years were "very difficult": she had to find her sister's body, inform her parents of the loss, testify alone and return to Argentina with the remains whilst Reverter escaped.
Preventative detention in Buenos Aires
On Tuesday, following the court hearing, federal judge Federico Villena of Lomas de Zamora ordered preventative detention against Reverter at the Villa Lugano police station in Buenos Aires. The defence lawyer, Marcelo Fernández, requested house arrest arguing that his client had received a protection order against detention in Mexico, but prosecutor Cecilia Incardona explained that Mexican justice had not granted that protection order, so the detention never lost validity. Now the Quintana Roo Public Prosecutor's Office must advance the extradition process before Argentine authorities.
Hope for justice for the family
Candela Jalabert expressed relief following the detention: "He is in the place where he deserves to be, in prison". She described the emotional impact of seeing Reverter on a video call during the hearing: "Our stomachs turned. He killed my sister and I have to see him requesting house arrest, when I don't have my sister anymore". The family acknowledges that the path to justice is still long — extradition, trial and sentencing — but considers this step crucial. "We are on our way to seeing justice done", Candela affirms. "All of this is a bit of peace for Agostina".
The case led to the resignation of the then Quintana Roo prosecutor Óscar Montes de Oca due to the omissions made in the initial investigation.
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)