Germán Darío Facchín, the former Mayor of Deán Funes, a city in the province of Córdoba, Argentina, was sentenced to four years of prison for poisoning and killing more than 200 animals, most of them dogs. His crime was committed in 2013, but the conviction happened on 13th October 2022 because he had to undergo another trial after a judge in his first trial ordered a retrial.
During the day of the incident, which occurred on 28th April 2013, the accused had distributed around the municipality meatballs mixed with a powerful poison, which ended up killing at least 211 dogs, in addition to birds, cats and other animals. In Argentina, Law 14,346 protects animals from mistreatment and cruelty, including providing poor nutrition to animals and giving them drugs without therapeutic intent.
After Facchín was initially acquitted at the 12th Chamber of Crime of Córdoba, the Superior Court of Justice annulled that sentence and ordered a retrial to the 8th Chamber of Crime of Córdoba. The Judges of the 8th Chamber Eugenio Pérez Moreno, Juan Manuel Ugarte and Marcelo Jaime arrived at a unanimous guilty verdict.
The judges also sentenced to three years of suspended prison to the municipal employees Diego Oscar Allendes, Juan Santos Márquez, Darío Mercedes Palomeque, Pablo Daniel Palomeque and Roque Enrique Quinteros Nievas. All were considered co-authors of the same crimes, and it is believed that their absence as accused in the first trial was what prompted a retrial. The ex-mayor got a higher sentence because he was considered the instigator of the crime.
Lilian Lourdes Luna, president of the local animal shelter, said to El Perfil, “Justice was done. We waited nine years for those poor animals to rest in peace. We hope that this will serve as a precedent so that these massacres are not committed again.”
