Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Retired Officer Sentenced to 8½ Years for Killing Neighbor in Christmas Music Dispute

A popular jury’s culpable homicide verdict set the terms of sentencing, with a court psychologist’s warning helping to deny home detention.

Overview

  • Judge Lucila Pacheco of La Matanza’s TOC No. 2 imposed eight years and six months in prison and a 10-year ban on possessing or carrying firearms for Rafael Horacio Moreno, 75.
  • Moreno was found guilty by a popular jury of culpable homicide and illegal possession of a war‑type firearm, after prosecutors had sought aggravated homicide.
  • The court rejected house arrest, citing a psychological report that described immature defensive mechanisms, hidden aggressiveness, and a risk of impulsive reactions under stress.
  • The shooting occurred on December 25, 2024, on Acevedo 4100 in Lomas del Mirador during a dispute over loud music; Díaz, 40, was shot at close range in the abdomen and died at a hospital.
  • Moreno surrendered at the scene, admitted he fired the shot, and handed over a .38 revolver, while the victim’s family criticized the sentence as too lenient and insisted it was not an accident.