The Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) gathered in the Constitutional Chamber, refused to suspend the conviction imposed on Matías Enrique Salazar More (El Gordo Matías), who was found guilty of having retained his sentimental partner for 31 years, without allowing him to go out. Three other women appear as victims.
Such decision is contained in Judgment 1,386 of the Constitutional Chamber published on August 7. This sentence is the response of the magistrates to an appeal for amparo filed by aka El Gordo Matías who considers that his victims had to be notified of the decision taken by the Court of Appeals with competence in matters of crimes of violence against the woman of the Criminal Judicial Circuit of the Aragua State, from where they validated the conviction imposed, consisting in 17 years 10 months in prison.
As proposed by the offender, the Constitutional Chamber had to suspend that criminal process «and that the infringed legal situation is restored, retracting the cause of the State in which the valid and adjusted notification of all the intervening parties is given, to be able to timely exercise the right to resort to the decision».
That being the main concern, that is, the conviction, endorsed by the Court of Appeals, can be challenged before a higher instance, the magistrates confirmed that this appeal was already exercised for the moment when he filed the appeal for amparo.
And in that sense, the magistrates recalled that the Criminal Chamber of the TSJ already issued a sentence where the condemnation imposed on Gordo Matías left firm. The aforementioned sentence is marked with number 564 of November 8, 2024, written by Judge Carmen Marisela Castro and validates by her colleagues in the Criminal Chamber, Elsa Gómez and Maikel Moreno.
When this reminder, the Constitutional Chamber infers “that this situation ceased”, referring to the denounced in the appeal for Aias el Gordo Matías, who argued that their victims had not been notified the ratification of their conviction, which prevented him from exercising an appeal against that sanction.
The step by step of the trial
- Morella León López, The first victim in this story, left for his house located in Valencia (Carabobo) on December 23, 1998 to live with Matías Enrique Salazar Moure (El Gordo Matías). She, 17 and the 23 -year -old. The Mangos, Avenida Constitucay, Maracay (Aragua) were residency in an apartment in the Los Mangos Urbanization.
- 31 years laterspecifically on January 23, 2020, Morella López León fled from the residence where Gordo Matías kept her locked up, after having passed from one property to another, located Maracay.
- After escaping, Morella went to the Aragua State Women’s Institute where he denounced the incident, which allowed police agencies to capture the fat Matías on January 27, 2020.
- The arrest of Gordo Matías revealed that three other victims suffered the psychological violence applied by the subject, including Fanny Yajaira Araque Barrios and María de los Ángeles Salazar Araque (mother and daughter). Fanny lived in the same building where Morella lived. Even the Gordo Matías had a mission to Fanny: watch Morella.
- Fanny and him Gordo Matías procreated a son, who was rescued by the police on January 30, 2020. Fanny was retained by the subject for 23 years.
- Ana María Galvicius Healthy He is the fourth victim of Gordo Matías
- February 2020. Ministry Public charged the Gordo Matías the crimes of psychological violence, threat, sexual violence and sexual slavery.
- March 14, 2020prosecutors César Oscar Flores Mota and Katherine Botardo requested to open a trial against Gordo Matías before Court 2 of control, hearing and measure with competence in crimes against Aragua’s wife.
- December 9, 2020. The preliminary hearing was held, at the end of which the 2nd Court of Control Audience and measures ordered to open a trial to the subject.
- The trial against The Gordo Matías passed from April 30, 2021 to June 20, 2023, before the Single Court of Judicial Circuit in matters of violence against Aragua’s wife.
- Having 61 Years of age, Gordo Matías was sentenced to 17 years, 10 months in prison, for three of the four crimes accused. He was acquitted of the crime of sexual slavery. In addition, the victims ordered to compensate for 5,000 thousand times the official exchange rate of the highest value published by the BCV ” without prejudice to the obligation of the aggressor to pay the medical or psychological treatment they need ”.
- February 20, 2024. The Court of Appeals, with competence in the field of crimes of violence against Aragua’s wife, ratified the conviction imposed on the defendant.
- November 4 Of 2024, the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice issued a final judgment on the conviction imposed on the fat Matías.
- Elba López PintoMother of Morella, died on December 4, 2011. Her daughter was captive.
