This June 10, the High Risk Court B heard the last interventions of the family of Litzy Cordon and the accused, Kevin Manolo Rivas Cordón, before issuing a sentence for the case that is being followed for the death of the young woman, which occurred in October 2020 in Teculután, Zacapa. The sentence will be known this Wednesday, June 10 at 2 p.m.
Amada Quevedo, Litzy’s grandmother, expressed her confidence that justice will be done for her granddaughter’s death.
“Something painful for everyone. In the name of God, he will do justice… God does not leave us ashamed,” he stated before the judges.
For his part, Edgar Cordón, the victim’s father, recalled that his daughter was a young woman with a promising future, and reiterated his request for an exemplary sentence.
“She was a young lady with a great future, a university student, who had a lot ahead of her, for her family and for many people,” said the parent.
He added that during the trial the facts presented by the Public Ministry and the participation of Litzy’s cousin in his death were proven.
After concluding the hearing, Litzy’s father commented that Kevin Rivas Cordón should receive the maximum sentence allowed by law.
“We demand that justice be done. That he be sentenced to the maximum years that the law can give him,” he declared.
Furthermore, he commented that, if the death penalty exists in Guatemala, the accused should face it.
“If the death penalty could be applied here, it would have also been applied to him. Because just as he kidnapped, raped and killed my daughter, that’s how he should have been too,” he said.
Meanwhile, Rivas Cordón, the accused, asked the judges to release him and for the ruling to be acquittal.
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“With all the respect that you deserve, I want to ask you not to be influenced by the media pressure that you have suffered through this debate,” he said.
In addition, he requested that each of the evidence presented during the trial be analyzed and assured that he had no participation in the events.
“I only ask that justice be the one to take care of all this, because I know that it is painful for all parties. Just as it hurts the father and the grandmother, it hurts me too. I am their family; it hurts me too. We are also human beings, I have also lost family members,” he indicated.
After concluding the interventions, the Court scheduled the reading of the sentence for 2:00 p.m. on June 10.
The case
According to the investigation by the Public Ministry (MP), Litzy Amelia Cordón Guardado, 20 years old, a Social Work student at the Rafael Landívar University, was kidnapped on October 5, 2020 in Teculután, Zacapa. A day later, his body was located in the Los Pasitos hamlet, in Los Puentes, Teculután.
The National Institute of Forensic Sciences (Inacif) concluded that the young woman died from asphyxiation due to strangulation and that she had signs of physical violence and sexual assault.
Kevin Manolo Rivas Cordón, cousin of the victim, was captured on December 10, 2020 and later linked to proceedings for the crimes of plagiarism or kidnapping, murder and rape.
You could also read: Litzy Cordón Case: judges carry out visual inspections in the places the victim visited on the day of her kidnapping
The request for conviction
During the conclusion phase, the Prosecutor’s Office against the Crime of Femicide requested that Kevin Rivas Cordón be sentenced to a total of 112 years in prison for three crimes.
The MP’s request before the court against Kevin Rivas Cordón was:
- • 50 years for murder
- • 50 years for plagiarism or kidnapping
- • 12 years for rape
In total, the MP requested a sentence of 112 years in prison.
For his part, the co-plaintiff lawyer, Paolo Rubén Similox, requested maximum penalties for plagiarism or kidnapping and murder against Kevin Rivas Cordón and asked the court to impose 20 years in prison for the crime of aggravated rape. In total, the plaintiff lawyer asked for 120 years in prison against Litzy’s cousin.