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Murder of Omar Carrasco

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1994 murder in Argentina

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Murder of Omar Carrasco
Undated photo of Carrasco
LocationZapala, Neuquén Province, Argentina
Datec. 6 March 1994
Attack type
Torture murder, beating
VictimOmar Octavio Carrasco, aged 20
PerpetratorMilitary superiors
Verdict
  • 15 years in prison (Canevaro)
  • 10 years in prison (Suárez and Salazar)
  • 3 years in prison (Sánchez)
Convictions
  • Simple homicide (Canevaro, Suárez and Salazar)[a]
  • Concealment (Sánchez)

The murder of Omar Octavio Carrasco (5 January 1974 – March 1994), a 20-year-old conscript in the Argentine Army, occurred in the early days of March 1994. Initially reported as a deserter by military authorities, Carrasco's body was found some 700 metres (2,300 ft) from his assigned barracks in Zapala, Neuquén Province.

After a lengthy investigation proved that Carrasco had been tortured and beaten, strong social backlash resulted in President Carlos Menem's decision to abolish conscription in Argentina.

Background

Omar Octavio Carrasco was born on 5 January 1974 in Cutral Có, a city in the Confluencia Department of Neuquén Province.[1][2][3] His parents were Francisco Carrasco and Sebastiana Barrera, a construction worker and a homemaker, respectively.[4] The elder Carrasco also worked in other temporary jobs, like driving trucks and delivering goods in the province. The family were deeply religious and professed Evangelical Christianity;[5] Omar liked reading the Bible and playing guitar.[6][7] In his adolescence, he began working part-time jobs in Cutral Có, delivering frozen chickens in different neighbourhoods.[7]

His extreme shyness and thin physical appearance made Carrasco a frequent target of bullying, developing only a single friendship during his basic training in the army and showing no defences against insults and harassment.[1] When Carrasco turned 17, he confided in his parents that he was afraid of going into the army to serve his mandatory military service.[3] As a result, he asked for a deferment on the basis that he was finishing his secondary education.[3] In early 1994, Carrasco decided to face the service and presented himself in the region's military district.[3] He was subsequently assigned to Zapala's military base.[8]

Murder

According to conscript Castro, who was the closest to Carrasco in the three days before his disappearance, Carrasco was the subject of bullying, harassment, mocking, and excessive training by his superiors.[9][10] Castro additionally testified that Carrasco was forced to do push-ups and frog jumps, as well as remain on the ground, often wet and muddy, until the late night.[11][12]: 73 Other forms of torture that Carrasco endured in the days that he was in the artillery unit included doing extratraining while the rest were already showering, running and being forced to do push-ups on gravel or thorny terrains while shirtless, and being exposed to cold temperatures at night, with the naked torso while the superiors looked on and laughed.[1][12]

During the trial of 1996, witnesses reported also that Carrasco was forced to go to bed after the excessive exercise, sleeping without taking a shower, without his shirt, and muddied and bloodied. He was last seen on 6 March 1994, and he was reported as a deserter in the days that followed.[8] His parents, with his mother, Sebastiana, spearheading the efforts, took the case to national media and forced a federal investigation into the young man's disappearance.[8]

One month later, on 6 April 1994, federal and military agencies found Carrasco's body in the proximities of the base. The body was clothed – later discovered to have been dressed postmortem – and surrounded by military boots and a broken watch.[13][14] Although local military authorities attempted to ratify their version that Carrasco had gone AWOL and that he had died from exposure, investigators quickly determined that he had been subjected to beatings and other torture that led to his death.[8][13][14]

Reaction and investigation

Initially, President Carlos Menem defended the armed forces and stated that half a million young men had gone through the service since 1983.[15] He also accused the media and opponents of a smear campaign against the military.[15] However, as social pressure grew stronger and the investigations showed clear evidence that Carrasco had been murdered, Menem changed his view and met with Carrasco's parents, promising a full inquiry into their son's killing and vowing to pursue justice in the case.[15]

In the days that followed the discovery of Carrasco's body, military authorities arrested second lieutenant Ignacio Canevaro, 23, and two privates named Cristian Suárez and Víctor Salazar, both 19 years old at the time. They were charged with simple homicide and convicted on 31 January 1996. Canevaro was found guilty of being the main responsible person behind the harassment and torture of Carrasco, with a federal court sentencing him to 15 years in prison that same day.[8][16] Suárez and Salazar received a sentence of 10 years in prison each. A sergeant named Carlos Sánchez was convicted of covering up the crime and given a 3-year prison term.[17][8]

Argentine society's continued pressure led to President Menem abolishing conscription by signing a decree on 31 August 1994, and military service in Argentina turned to a volunteer programme beginning in 1995.[1][15][18][19]

Aftermath

The soldiers convicted of Carrasco's murder were all set free before 2005. Second Lieutenant Ignacio Canevaro was released on 4 February 2004, after spending nearly 12 years in prison.[1] Privates Suárez and Salazar were set free on 23 November 2000 after being benefited by sentence computing under Argentine law in those years.[1][17] Since his release from prison, Canevaro has denied his role in the murder, stating that he became a scapegoat for the military commanders of Zapala.[20] He studied law and graduated as a lawyer in 2002 while serving his sentence in a federal prison.[20] In 2009, Canevaro gave an interview on the occasion of the release of his book.[21] Since then, he has never granted another interview and continues denying his crimes.[21] According to Constanza Bengochea, a reporter for La Nación, Canevaro worked as of 2024 in the human resources office of a sanitation business and has a daughter with his wife Cecilia.[21]

Cristian Suárez left Argentina and settled in Spain to avoid public scrutiny, while Víctor Salazar returned to Río Negro Province after his release from prison, leading a largely anonymous life since then.[20]

In August 1999, Carrasco's parents were awarded compensation by a federal judge in Neuquén who determined that they would receive a total of $886,000 Argentine pesos for the moral damage they had gone through and for the legal fees they afforded to pursue their own investigation.[22]

Carrasco's mother, Sebastiana, continued pursuing justice for his son and was actively involved in the case.[23] She died on 26 December 2025 in Cutral Có, at the age of 75.[24] Francisco Carrasco continues to live there as of 2026.[24]

In media

Carrasco's case made a profound impact on Argentina's society,[7] and he is often taken as an example of the brutality that many young men went through during the military service in the country, where it was known as colimba.[25] The case inspired the 1997 film Under Flag of Juan José Jusid, which deals with a similar plot due to Jusid's wish for the film not to be associated only with Carrasco's case but to include the systemic abuse suffered by young men in those years.[26]

In March 2026, a short film titled Seis de Abril (Spanish for 'Sixth of April') debuted in the Cine Teatro Español of Lomas de Zamora.[27] The plot tells the story of Carrasco's case and life and was filmed in Zapala. Carrasco is portrayed by actor Juan Atahualpa Albarracín.[27]

Convictions

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Table[28]
Name Age at the time of the crime Rank Charge Criminal penalty Released
Ignacio Canevaro 23 Second lieutenant Simple homicide[a] 15 years in prison Paroled on 4 February 2004. Sentence later completed
Cristian Suárez 19 Private Simple homicide 10 years in prison Paroled on 23 November 2000. Sentence later completed
Víctor Salazar 19 Private Simple homicide 10 years in prison Paroled on 23 November 2000. Sentence later completed
Carlos Ricardo Sánchez N/A Sergeant Concealment 3 years in prison Escaped arrest following the ratification of his sentence in March 1997. He escaped to La Paz, Entre Ríos, and remained at large for months in different locations until he was recaptured and ordered to serve the sentence.[30][31][32]

Notes

  1. ^ a b Article 79 of the Penal Code of Argentina defines simple homicide as the act of killing another person with intent but no aggravating circumstances like premeditation, motive, among many other clauses. The code states that those convicted of simple homicide shall be punished with a prison term ranging from 8 to 25 years behind bars.[29]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f LAVOZ, Redacción (5 March 2024). "Caso Carrasco: a 30 años del crimen que marcó el fin del Servicio Militar Obligatorio". www.lavoz.com.ar (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  2. ^ Berto, Guillermo (3 March 2024). "Caso Carrasco: un crimen que terminó con algo más que el servicio militar obligatorio". Diario Río Negro | Periodismo en la Patagonia (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d Berto, Guillermo (6 March 2019). "El asesinato de Omar Carrasco: una trama de espías y arrepentidos que cumple 25 años". Diario Río Negro | Periodismo en la Patagonia (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  4. ^ "Falleció la madre del soldado Carrasco cuyo crimen puso fin al servicio militar obligatorio en Argentina". Uno Entre Rios. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  5. ^ Seguir (6 March 2024). "A 30 años del crimen del soldado Carrasco: torturas, ocultamiento de pruebas y el fin del servicio militar". infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  6. ^ "El caso de Omar Carrasco: una crónica, 31 años después | Agencia Paco Urondo". www.agenciapacourondo.com.ar (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  7. ^ a b c Clarín, Redacción (29 August 1999). "Caso Carrasco El crimen que cambió la vida de los argentinos". Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Redacción (6 March 2024). "Caso Carrasco, a 30 años: ¿Cuándo murió Omar Carrasco y qué fue lo que pasó en Zapala?". Diario Río Negro | Periodismo en la Patagonia (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  9. ^ Seguir (6 April 2026). "Omar Carrasco, colimba y tragedia: castigos violentos, encubrimientos y el adiós forzado al servicio militar obligatorio en Argentina". infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  10. ^ Berri, Jorge Urien (1995). El ultimo Colimba: el caso Carrasco y la justicia arrodillada (in Spanish). Ediciones Temas de Hoy. ISBN 978-950-730-021-9.
  11. ^ arkantir.com. "Revista EL SUR | ¿Vuelve la colimba?". revistaelsur.com.ar. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  12. ^ a b "Criminal Case. Federal Court Neuquén". Poder Judicial de la Nación (in Spanish). 1996. p. 36. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
  13. ^ a b Seguir (6 April 2026). "Omar Carrasco, colimba y tragedia: castigos violentos, encubrimientos y el adiós forzado al servicio militar obligatorio en Argentina". infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  14. ^ a b Redacción (16 January 2004). "El soldado que no debió morir". Diario Río Negro | Periodismo en la Patagonia (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  15. ^ a b c d Redacción (6 March 2024). "Video | Qué dijo Menem del caso Carrasco: este miércoles se cumplen 30 años del crimen". Diario Río Negro | Periodismo en la Patagonia (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  16. ^ "Omar Carrasco: torturas y desaparición forzada en democracia" (in Spanish). 15 December 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  17. ^ a b Clarín, Redacción (23 November 2000). "Caso Carrasco: liberan a los dos ex soldados". Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  18. ^ Liszt, Gabriela. "Caso Carrasco". www.pts.org.ar (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  19. ^ VibeThemes; Global, Córdoba (6 March 2024). "A 30 Años del Caso Carrasco". Córdoba Global (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  20. ^ a b c Rodríguez, Carlos (3 March 2019). "La versión de los dos soldados". Página|12 (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  21. ^ a b c Bengochea, Constanza (11 April 2024). ""Era la encarnación viva del milico malo". La nueva vida del exsubteniente Canevaro, condenado por el crimen del soldado Carrasco". LA NACION (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  22. ^ "Pagaron $ 886.000 a la familia Carrasco". LA NACION (in Spanish). 27 August 1999. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  23. ^ "Tras diez años de silencio, hablaron los padres del soldado Omar Carrasco". Todo Noticias (in Spanish). 18 October 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  24. ^ a b Clarín, Redacción (22 January 2026). "Murió la madre del soldado Omar Carrasco, cuyo crimen marcó el final del servicio militar obligatorio en la Argentina". Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  25. ^ "El caso Carrasco, la muerte que marcó una bisagra en las FF.AA". Yahoo Noticias (in Spanish). 17 July 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  26. ^ "Luppi y Solá pasan a cuarteles de invierno". LA NACION (in Spanish). 11 April 1997. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  27. ^ a b Dewey, Cecilia Rayén Guerrero (31 March 2026). "Un cortometraje neuquino que pone luz a las cicatrices del servicio militar obligatorio". Lmneuquen.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  28. ^ Redacción (6 March 2024). "Quiénes fueron los condenados por el caso Carrasco, a 30 años del crimen en Zapala". Diario Río Negro | Periodismo en la Patagonia (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  29. ^ "DIFERENCIAS ENTRE LOS DELITOS DE HOMICIDIO DOLOSO Y CULPOSO" (in European Spanish). Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
  30. ^ "Un sargento prófugo en el caso Carrasco". LA NACION (in Spanish). 4 April 1997. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  31. ^ Clarín, Redacción (26 March 1997). "Ordenan detener a un sargento". Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  32. ^ Clarín, Redacción (3 April 1997). "Todavía sigue libre el sargento condenado por encubrimiento". Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 September 2026.
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