The trial for the femicide of María Fernanda Benítez, a 17-year-old pregnant teenager found burned in Coronel Oviedo in May 2025, was suspended for the second time. The defense of pharmacist Franco Acosta Céspedes filed a recusal against all three judges of the Sentencing Tribunal — Luis Ovelar, Andrea Riquelme, and Víctor Vera — challenging the ruling that analyzed various defense requests during the hearing on April 27, when the trial was supposed to begin.
With the suspension, the Appeals Chamber must now decide whether to confirm the panel or remove the magistrates so the process can proceed. In addition to Acosta Céspedes, Ricardo Andrés León Villamayor, Chiara Rolón Melgarejo, and the parents of the teenager identified as the perpetrator will also be tried.
According to the investigations, María Fernanda was killed on May 27, 2025, at the home of the main suspect. The motive for the crime was the young man's dissatisfaction with the victim's pregnancy. Although it is believed he acted alone, he allegedly confessed the act to his parents, who supposedly tried to cover up the incident.