Second man detained over femicide of Agostina Vega in Córdoba: who is Osvaldo Fassetta
Osvaldo Fassetta, 47, has been arrested in Córdoba on suspicion of aggravated obstruction of justice in the femicide case of Agostina Vega.
Fassetta, second man detained over femicide of Agostina Vega in Cofico neighbourhood
The investigation into the femicide of Agostina Vega saw a second suspect arrested on Thursday. According to infobae.com, fiscal Raúl Garzón ordered the detention of Osvaldo Miguel Fassetta, 47, one of the occupants of the property on Calle Juan del Campillo 800, in the Cofico neighbourhood of Córdoba, where prosecutors say the teenager's murder took place.
Fassetta faces a charge of aggravated obstruction of justice. The measure came after the suspect gave several television interviews in which he described details of his cohabitation with Claudio Barrelier, identified as the principal defendant in the femicide, and claimed to have participated in the search for the young woman alongside her family.
Who is Fassetta
The man is father to three children. Among them is Evelyn Estefanía Fassetta, 27, who is under house arrest accused of having killed her partner, Sergio Galván, 34, with a stab wound to the neck in December 2019.
Fassetta is connected to the construction sector, although at the time of the events he was working at a kiosk on the night shift. Official records reflect a compromised financial situation: he is recorded as having bank debts classified as "unrecoverable" by the Central Bank of the Argentine Republic.
According to his account in an interview with TN, he lived in a room near the front door of Barrelier's house. He claimed to have been absent during the night of Agostina's disappearance due to his work shift, and to have returned on Sunday the 24th at midday, hours after the young woman was last seen alive.
What he said about that night
In his public statements, Fassetta described how it was Melisa Heredia—the minor's mother—who informed him of the disappearance and who, after hearing the taxi driver's description, began to suspect Barrelier. "She associates it immediately and tells me: 'It's Claudio, it's Claudio'", he recalled.
He also noted that Barrelier spent long periods locked in a private room, where he listened to music at high volume and did not allow other occupants to enter. Fassetta stated he had not noticed unusual activity or had access to other areas of the property. He added that upon returning to his room, he found that his quilt had been changed, something he found striking.
The prosecution considers it unlikely that Fassetta would not have heard or known relevant information about what occurred. Furthermore, investigations are underway to determine whether he was the one who made calls and sent messages to Agostina's mother, in which a male voice told her: "Stay calm, we have her sleeping soundly".
The defence contests the detention
Defence lawyer Eduardo Medina Allende rejected the fiscal's decision and maintained that his client was not in the house when the crime was committed. He claimed to have evidence and witnesses who would place him working outside the property during that night, and mentioned security cameras from a bakery adjacent to the kiosk that would support that alibi.
Medina Allende also argued that the presence of his client's genetic traces in the room is to be expected, given that he slept there, and that the detection of the change in bedding is consistent with someone who lived in the place.
Regarding the alleged audio in which a voice reassures Agostina's mother by telling her the girl "is sleeping", the lawyer cast doubt on its existence and pointed out that Fassetta had seen Heredia that afternoon. "Why would he send her that message if they had seen each other?", he asked.
The defence counsel also questioned the practice of the Córdoba prosecution: "When they have nothing to do, they do something to justify that they are doing something and they order preventive detention", he declared.
According to Medina Allende's account, Fassetta and Barrelier have known each other for approximately ten months, united by their shared fanaticism for Instituto football club, and it was Barrelier himself who offered Fassetta the chance to move into the house. The detained man will be questioned in the coming hours.
Source: Google News AR — Crime