A stunning 24-year-old with everything to live for has died after she was beaten unconscious by her younger boyfriend who then burned the house down to cover up his crime.
Prosecutors say that Lucia Mujica was still alive when her 22-year-old boyfriend Nahuel Casco set fire to the building in an apartment complex in the town of San Antonio de Areco 100 km from the capital Buenos Aires.
Neighbours rescued the woman and she was rushed to the nearby Emilio Zerboni Hospital but doctors were unable to save her life and she succumbed to her injuries.
Police from the San Antonio de Areco Community Police Station (EPC) who quizzed the boyfriend said that the tragedy happened because she had been careless with an aerosol sparking a fire inside their home that left her badly burned.
But they were suspicious about his story, including the fact that neighbours recorded hearing sounds of a bitter argument, and when he was further questioned the story fell apart, after which he confessed to killing her.
He said he set fire to the building to hide the crime, and he was remanded in custody, with prosecutors ordering a forensic examination of the property and a detailed autopsy.
According to the Women’s Office of the Argentine Supreme Court of Justice, an average of one femicide was recorded every 35 hours in the country last year, with 81 per cent of those killed classified as victims of domestic violence.
After the death of Lucia, locals join friends and family in marching to demand more action over the rising number of attacks on women in the country.
Activist Marina Perez, 50, said that many of the women who were murdered in the country had even tried to contact police and local authorities for protection. But still, nothing happened and they ended up being killed anyway. She added that the situation had to change.