Renato Iván Tavella arrested in Buenos Aires for two femicides in Córdoba and Retiro
The 28-year-old suspect was captured at a hotel in San Nicolás. He is linked to the death of Daniela Villalba in Córdoba and Tatiana Fernández in Buenos Aires.
Alleged perpetrator of two femicides with identical modus operandi arrested in Buenos Aires
Renato Iván Tavella, 28, was detained in the early hours of Monday by the Homicide Division of the City Police at the Hotel Centro, located in the San Nicolás neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. According to diariodecuyo.com.ar, officers were searching for him in connection with the femicide of Daniela Villalba in Córdoba and, at the same time, linked him to the death of Tatiana Fernández, which occurred hours earlier in Buenos Aires.
The suspect offered no resistance and showed no signs of nervousness at the time of his arrest, according to investigation sources. In his room — number 108 — two mobile phones were found, one of which was being tracked by Córdoba Police through mobile phone masts under the supervision of prosecutor Pablo Camacho.
The Córdoba crime
The previous Wednesday, Daniela Villalba, 29 and mother of an 11-year-old boy, was found dead in her flat at Boulevard Las Heras at 200, in Córdoba. Two days before, she had agreed to meet with a client. Investigators noted the alleged killer's behaviour: he entered with his face uncovered, carried out a highly violent attack and then took the time to clean the blood, position the body face up on the bed, cover it with sheets and lock the door. When he left, he did cover his face and took a suitcase with him.
Security cameras recorded him getting rid of the suitcase at the corner of Jujuy and Humberto 1º. Refuse collectors noticed that the liquid coming from it as it was compacted was blood.
The trail was resumed in the Pocito area, where neighbours recognised the suspect in the images and indicated an address. There, a person who knew him provided his name: "Iván". When this witness called him, he responded that "I can't right now", which confirmed that the phone was switched on and could be geolocated.
Investigators also determined that, after the crime, Tavella headed to Córdoba's bus terminal and purchased two tickets, one destined for Buenos Aires. The cross-referencing of mobile phone mast data allowed them to track his trail.
The Buenos Aires victim
When Córdoba Police contacted their counterparts in Buenos Aires on Sunday to carry out the arrest, an officer recalled that hours earlier a homicide with similar characteristics had been recorded on Libertad Street at 1200, on the border between the neighbourhoods of Retiro and Recoleta.
The victim was Tatiana Fernández, 27. A friend found her near 8 in the morning, after failing to get in touch with her following a meeting with a man she knew as "Iván". The body was face up on the bed, covered with a sheet; the flat showed no signs of disturbance, the door was locked and her mobile phone was missing.
Mobile phone mast impact records placed Tavella at the location. Both police forces later confirmed that near midday on Sunday he had checked into the hotel on Perón Street at 1500. In the room, besides the two mobile phones, they found 79,000 pesos in cash, four SIM cards and a non-SIM card, his Córdoba driving licence, his national ID card, a SUBE card, a Banco Nación card and clothing.
Source: Google News AR — Buenos Aires