A retired Army colonel and a former conscript are accused as accessory and perpetrator, respectively, of the homicide of a worker for the public sanitation company, which took place in April 1974 in Temuco.

This is an investigation led by the minister in charge of human rights cases for the Temuco Court of Appeals, Álvaro Mesa Latorre, who accused the former conscript, Juan Carlos Millañir Ñancucheo, as the perpetrator, and the retired Army colonel, Mario Emiliano Alvarado Verdugo, as an accessory to the crime of simple homicide of Waldo Enrique Rivera Concha (33), perpetrated in Temuco on April 30, 1974.

In the proceedings carried out by Minister Mesa, it has been established that at approximately 01:00 hours, military personnel from the Andean company of the Tucapel Regiment of Temuco were standing guard during curfew hours on the railway line, at the intersection of Calle Cruz and San Martín.

According to the version provided by the now-accused, he suddenly noticed a silhouette advancing steadily toward them, so after chambering a round in his rifle and failing to get the person to stop, he fired directly at the body from a distance of 40 to 60 meters, causing the instant death of the worker .

The conscript soldier specified that he carried out this action due to instructions from the institution's high command, which directed them to shoot any person caught violating curfew hours who did not obey the order to halt.

Minutes after the incident, a military patrol arrived at the scene and removed the victim's body in a military truck, heading toward the regional hospital. The soldier who fired the shot reported to officer Mario Emiliano Alvarado Verdugo, of the same company, to explain the reason for his actions, noting that his conduct would have no consequences since he had proceeded correctly in accordance with the instructions given by the command. by Nicole Briones

Source: biobiochile.cl, November 13, 2018

Retired military personnel and the State condemned for homicide of worker in Temuco during dictatorship

A colonel and a conscript soldier from the Army, both retired, were convicted for the homicide of a worker from the defunct National Sanitation Works Service in Temuco, which occurred in April 1974 . The State, meanwhile, must pay the victim's family compensation of 600 million pesos .

The minister in extraordinary charge of human rights violation cases, with jurisdiction from Temuco to Coyhaique, Álvaro Mesa Latorre, convicted former conscript soldier Juan Carlos Millañir Ñancucheo and retired Army colonel Mario Emiliano Alvarado Verdugo for their responsibility in the crime of simple homicide of Waldo Enrique Rivera Concha , 33 years old, perpetrated on April 30, 1974, in Temuco.

In the ruling, Minister Mesa sentenced Millañir Ñancucheo to an effective prison term of 10 years and one day , as the perpetrator of the crime. Alvarado Verdugo was sentenced to 3 years in prison as an accessory to the simple homicide of the sanitation company worker , the predecessor to the Servicios Sanitarios de La Araucanía (Essar) company.

In his case, the sentence is considered served due to the time the convicted man has already spent deprived of liberty in the case. The homicide occurred on the railway line near Avenida O’Higgins, in front of the former Rendel sausage factory.

In the civil aspect, the State was ordered to pay total compensation of 600 million pesos for moral damages to the victim's family members. by Manuel Stuardo

Source: radiobiobio.cl, May 4, 2020