This morning, July 21, formal charges were brought against Martín Pradenas Dürr (28) for the alleged rape of Antonia Barra (20), who died by suicide after the event. Four other charges were also brought against him for alleged conduct between 2010 and 2018; during the hearing, the prosecuting attorneys presented evidence to support their case against Pradenas. Pradenas maintains his innocence.
The state, with the assistance of Atonia Barra’s family, has brought charges against Martín Pradenas Dürr claiming that Pradenas raped Barra, which led to her suicide in October 2019. The prosecuting attorney, Miguel Ángel Rojas requested that Pradenas be kept in custody during the proceedings saying that he is a threat to society considering the seriousness of the charges and that they allegedly occurred over a period of years. The judge will announce his decision on this matter tomorrow morning.
The defense asked the judge to drop two of the charges against Pradenas because the statute of limitations had expired as to the conduct that allegedly occurred in 2010 and 2014, and the judge agreed. Furthermore, Pradenas is officially only charged in two different cases.
Evidence Against Martín Pradenas
The prosecution is using several types of evidence against the defendant to prove its case, including Whatsapp messages, eye-witness testimony, and video surveillance. The attorneys will use these to track the movements and actions of Barra and Pradenas during the nights of Sept. 18 and 19, 2019 when the events allegedly occurred.
The case first gained nationwide media attention after CHV Noticias released a video of Barra and Pradenas showing what looks like Barra struggling to stand as Pradenas pushes her towards a house. As a result, funas and protests are occurring throughout Chile, accusing Pradenas of serial rape and demanding justice for the survivors.
For his part, Pradenas continues to claim innocence and his family continues to stand beside him and dismiss the accusations as lies.
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Bethany works as a professional English teacher from the United States. She obtained her Bachelors of Arts in English Education and Masters of Liberal Arts in English from Henderson State University. As well as a life-long Literature and Language lover, Bethany also dabbles in stand-up comedy on the weekends. She currently lives in Santiago, Chile where, in addition to teaching, she organizes bilingual events with The Chistolas, a comedy and event-management group.