Justice granted Antonio “Cacho” Garay the house arrest for alleged deterioration of health of the 69-year-old former comedian, who suffers from prostate cancer, diabetes, cardiological, neurological and motor problems. The man from Mendoza has been detained preventively since April 12, 2023 within the framework of the investigation for more than ten crimes linked to sexual abuse and gender violence whose victim is Verónica Macías, his ex-wife. Meanwhile, the benefit will become effective this Wednesday, once the defense pay a bond of $5,000,000.
During a hearing was held this Tuesday between the Guarantee Judge, Federico Martínez, the prosecutor Mónica Fernández Poblet, and the former comedian’s lawyer, Daniel Romero, to address two issues surrounding the detainee: cessation of preventive detention —requested by the defense—, and the restitution of house arrestrequested by the Gender Violence Prosecutor’s Office.
Garay had previously enjoyed the benefit of house arrestbut then he lost it, when it was found that had broken the approach restrictionsending the complainant a WhatsApp audio where she did not speak.
After 8 p.m. this Tuesday, the magistrate resolved grant the request for house arrest, but not to the cessation of preventive detention. However, he determined that for its effectiveness, the defense had to pay a bond of $5,000,000, and The accused was prohibited from leaving the country and the province.
An image of the former comedian that circulated on networks and television programs since March shows the precarious conditions of the San Felipe prison cell where Garay spent his days, and at the same time, the ex-humorist was seen in a deteriorated conditionwith several kilos less.
In this framework, the defender asked Judge Martínez to analyze the cessation of Garay’s preventive detention so that he arrives at a future trial in good health. Furthermore, he justified, new evidence had been added to the file that, in his opinion, benefited the ex-humorist: the psychological-psychiatric expertise carried out on the complainant.
However, The judge rejected that request.. But, given Garay’s deteriorating health in prison, the prosecution requested that the accused serve preventive detention at his home, something that was finally was accepted this Tuesday.
Cacho Garay: what crimes is he accused of?
Garay was charged on April 12, 2023 for the crimes of “threats aggravated by the use of a weapon, sexual abuse with carnal access in an undetermined number of events, illegitimate deprivation of liberty aggravated by being committed against your spouseand possession of firearms for civilian use”.
The former humorist, remembered for his participation in the television program videomatch, was reported in Córdobaafter an argument with his partner from 2011 to 2013, Veronica Macias. After this event, both returned to Mendoza. Her wife was housed in a containment center for victims of gender violencewhile he went to the property where they lived, on September 20th Street in Luján de Cuyo.
When expanding your statementMacías said that both Garay and Sandra Astudillo Staffolani, The woman identified as an alleged accomplice of the comedian in the case of sexual abuse, was forced to have sex and participate in orgies, allegedly with businessmen, under threats with firearms and applying different forms of torture.
He also reported that in April had a discussion with Garay in a hotel in the Córdoba city of Carlos Paz, and the situation escalated until the accused took a firearm, pointed it at his head and warned him: “I am going to kill you“.
After the complaint, the comedian was detained preventively, then he was released and then the Justice ordered him house arrest, which was revoked again. Astudillo, who was an employee of the provincial Legislature since 2020 and was departmental queen of the Tunuyán Harvest in 1982, She benefited from house arresta situation that will remain until the case is brought to oral trial.
