Businessman convicted after overturning of acquittal in domestic violence case in San Juan
An appeals court annulled a ruling that had freed Ariel Eduardo Jaime and found him guilty of assaulting and threatening his former partner.
Businessman convicted after overturning of acquittal in domestic violence case in San Juan
An appeals court in San Juan annulled a not guilty verdict and sentenced merchant Ariel Eduardo Jaime for physically assaulting and intimidating his former partner. The ruling was reached after the Flagrancy Prosecutor's Office demonstrated that the trial court had examined the evidence separately, without considering the complete picture.
The incident dates back to 25 December 2025, when the woman reported an assault at the residence they shared. The trial court had exonerated Jaime citing reasonable doubt, but prosecutor Cristian Gerarduzzi filed an appeal. The official succeeded in proving that the original sentence had overlooked crucial evidence supporting the defendant's guilt.
According to the Public Ministry, the trial court broke down the evidentiary elements without linking them together. These included the testimony of the victim, injuries documented by the forensic specialist, and the altered behaviour the woman exhibited minutes after the incident, observed by relatives, law enforcement officers and healthcare workers. Additionally, a protective order requested subsequently and the history of family abuse proven throughout the proceedings were disregarded.
One of the main lines of the prosecution's argument was to establish that the conclusion of innocence did not stem from the evidence gathered, but from an inference constructed by the trial judge. The prosecutor argued that the fact that there had been an altercation with mutual injuries did not authorise the assumption that the defendant had reacted to protect himself. Rather, that situation fitted with the theory that the woman struggled to get away whilst he held her aggressively.
The appeal also challenged the interpretation of the crime of verbal coercion, stating that the expressions attributed to the defendant should be understood within the context of the beating suffered and the breakdown of the relationship, rather than being treated as disconnected words uttered in the midst of a quarrel.
The prosecution proved that the victim's account was not an isolated fact, but was supported by a robust chain of tangible evidence that the previous court fragmented in order to devalue it. They highlighted the report from the CAVIG forensic unit, the psychological studies conducted subsequently, and the statements of those who attended to the woman in a state of extreme distress following the beating.
In its new ruling, the appeals court emphasised that in offences that take place within the home—where direct observers are rare—the account of the person who suffers the attack takes on decisive importance when it is supported by indirect confirmations. In finding that the version of the victim was logical and consistent, the court characterised the previous acquittal as arbitrary and upheld the merchant's criminal liability.
Source: Canal 13 San Juan
Source: Google News PR — San Juan