Story By: William McGee, Sub-Editor: Lee Bullen, Agency: Newsflash
A trans activist who was stabbed by her lover and ended up being arrested for attempted murder for defending herself has had charges against her dropped.
Trans woman Mia Retacco, 26, was attacked in her flat in the Argentine city of Belen de Escobar in the Greater Buenos Aires area on the night of 10th November.
The attack was allegedly carried out by 23-year-old Franco Perez, whom she had been sporadically dating for two months.
The couple had been having sex and Perez insisted that they continue in the bathroom moments before he launched his brutal attack.
Retacco told local media: “We were in my apartment and he insisted that I go to the shower. I went in first, my back was turned and I saw him come in, but I didn’t imagine he had a knife in his hand. Suddenly, I felt him starting to stab me.”
Perez cut Retacco’s face, pulled her hair, hit her, and throttled her. During the attack, the pair fell onto a glass table, breaking it.
Retacco then managed to get hold of a shard of glass from the broken table which she used to cut Perez near the jugular vein.
She told local media: “Without looking, I grabbed a piece of glass and I gave it to him the best I could. I could tell I hurt him badly because he was left reeling. Then I went out to the balcony and called for help.”
The police were alerted by neighbours, who heard the screams coming from the apartment. They turned up at the scene, where they found the couple naked and covered in blood.
The pair was taken to hospital where Retacco received stitches for seven wounds. She also lost four teeth in the attack.
Retacco believes her actions saved her life. However, prosecutor Claudio Aundjian ordered her arrest on suspicion of attempted murder while she was in hospital.
The young trans woman was then taken to the police station where she spent the night.
However, the case against the Retacco was dismissed the following day and she was released after it was determined that she had acted in legitimate self-defence.
A large crowd had also gathered in front of the prosecutor’s office to demand Retacco’s release as she is a well-known activist within the local LGBT community.
Perez was discharged from hospital 48 hours later and an arrest warrant on suspicion of attempted transfemicide was issued. It is unclear if he has yet been apprehended.
Reports said the motive for the crime is known, but has not been disclosed.
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