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Court Rules Buenos Aires Street-Assault Suspect Not Criminally Responsible, Reviving Mental-Health Policy Scrutiny

New city figures show one-third of psychiatric emergencies involved people without stable housing.

Overview

  • A judge deemed the 30-year-old suspect inimputable due to psychiatric disorders, leading to his return to hospitalization rather than homicide charges.
  • The victim, Brazilian tourist María Vilma das Dores Cascalho da Silva Bosco, 69, died after being struck on Avenida Corrientes in the Abasto area last week.
  • Records show the suspect, identified as F.N.A., had multiple prior involuntary internments, including a court-ordered stay in December 2024 and episodes tied to arrests and escapes from care.
  • Official SAME data report 16,221 psychiatric interventions from January 2024 to September 30, 2025, with 5,680 involving people without stable housing, equivalent to one such attendance roughly every 162 minutes.
  • The SAME psychiatric protocol allows up to 72 hours to confirm involuntary treatment and relies on about 70 designated beds, while legal safeguards under Law 26.657 and limited follow-up capacity are central to the renewed debate.