Overview

• Family and local media confirmed his death on Monday after nearly a month of hospitalization in Río Cuarto following an August 11 traffic crash on Route 8 while he was driving to work.
• Ezequiel Chirino, 56, became a prominent advocate seeking justice for subteniente Matías Chirino after the 2022 initiation event that led to the 22‑year‑old's death in Corrientes.
• In November 2024, six Army personnel received eight‑year sentences for abandonment of person with abuse of authority, and three others were acquitted, a ruling the family criticized as too lenient.
• Prosecutors had pursued harsher homicide charges and longer prison terms, and the Chirino family indicated it did not rule out appealing the verdict.
• Case records describe forced excessive alcohol intake, extreme physical exercises, and immersion in a cold, dirty pool during the initiation; the autopsy found death by bronchoaspiration after choking on vomit.