Daniel Mauricio Zamudio Vera (3 August 1987 – 27 March 2012) was a Chilean man whose murder in 2012 became a symbol against homophobic violence in Chile. Zamudio, who identified as gay, was beaten and tortured for several hours in San Borja Park in downtown

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

on March 2, 2012, by four attackers linked to a

neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

gang.The Week, "International News: Hate Crime Punished," 8 November 2013. His death and the subsequent media attention helped accelerate legislation against discrimination and opened doors to greater acceptance and tolerance of differences in the conservative country. In 2013, all four perpetrators were found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 7 years to

life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

Murder

Zamudio's parents have stated that he was previously subjected to violence due to his sexual orientation. On March 2, 2012, Zamudio was brutally attacked and beaten for six hours until he lost consciousness. He was taken to the Hospital Emergency Public Assistance in Santiago, where he was diagnosed with

traumatic brain injury A traumatic brain injury (TBI), also known as an intracranial injury, is an injury to the brain caused by an external force. TBI can be classified based on severity ranging from mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI/concussion) to severe traumati ...

, a broken leg, and cuts on his stomach that resembled

swastikas The swastika (卐 or 卍, ) is a symbol used in various Eurasian religions and cultures, as well as a few Indigenous peoples of Africa, African and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American cultures. In the Western world, it is widely rec ...

made with broken bottles. Additionally,

cigarette burns Cigarette burns are usually deliberate injuries caused by pressing a lit cigarette or cigar to the skin. They are a common form of child abuse, self-harm, and torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a p ...

were found on various parts of his body. Zamudio died from his injuries 25 days later at the same hospital in Santiago.

Aftermath

Following Zamudio's death, Chilean President

Sebastián Piñera Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique (; 1 December 1949 – 6 February 2024) was a Chilean businessman and politician who served as President of Chile from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2022. The son of a Christian Democratic Party (C ...

urged parliament to speed up the adoption of a hate crimes law that had been stagnant for over seven years. The law aimed to prohibit discrimination based on "race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, appearance, or disability." However, adoption of the law faced opposition from several churches, who argued that it could lead to the legalization of

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

. Despite this, the law was passed in July 2012, signed by the President, and entered into force.

Murder trial

On October 17, 2013, all four men were found guilty of first-degree murder. Judge Juan Carlos Urrutia declared Patricio Ahumada Garay, Alejandro Angulo Tapia, Raúl López Fuentes, and Fabian Mora Mora guilty of a crime of "extreme cruelty" and "total disrespect for human life." On October 28, Ahumada was sentenced to life imprisonment, which was met with cheers from the courtroom. Angulo and López received 15-year sentences, while Mora, the youngest of the group, was sentenced to 7 years due to his cooperation with investigators and lack of prior convictions.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zamudio, Daniel 1987 births 2012 deaths Violence against gay men LGBTQ history in Chile Neo-Nazism in Chile March 2012 crimes in South America 2012 murders in Chile 2012 in LGBTQ history Violence against LGBTQ people in South America

Murder

Aftermath

Murder trial

See also

References