Officers from Asunción's 16th Precinct arrested Lucas Alcides Giménez Vargas (30), a patient at the Psychiatric Hospital, on Tuesday afternoon as the prime suspect in the homicide of Antonio Vera Escobar (49), which occurred on Saturday in the San Pablo neighborhood. The victim died after receiving multiple stab wounds in a crime that police say was motivated by jealousy.
Investigations indicate that Giménez Vargas and Vera Escobar were vying for the affection of the same woman. Neighbors reported that the suspect, who already had a record for embezzlement in 2023, had been agitated and was seen carrying a knife in his waistband in the days leading up to the crime.
On Saturday night, around 7 p.m., Vera Escobar was sitting on the sidewalk outside his home on Ysapy Street near Mburucuyá, drinking beer. Giménez Vargas allegedly approached from behind and struck the first blow to the victim's shoulder. Vera Escobar tried to flee but was caught and stabbed three more times, collapsing dead a few meters away.
The suspect also suffered a deep cut to his right hand during the attack, when the knife apparently slipped. Relatives of Giménez Vargas, who describe him as a long-term patient of the psychiatric hospital due to mental disorders, told police he had been admitted on Monday after the altercation. The hospital's legal advisor alerted authorities to the irregular situation.
Officers led by Deputy Commissioner Carlos Pereira confirmed the suspect's identity through security camera footage and made the arrest. The case is being handled by prosecutor Thais García of the Neighborhood Prosecutor's Office 1, who ordered the detainee to be held at the police station. The Homicide Department has been called in to continue the technical investigation.