The young man fired 14 shots at his father and waited for two days next to the body, until he surrendered. Now he is serving a 12-year prison sentence
Moisés Martínez, 28 years old, confronted his fatherCarlos, after learning that he abused Moises’ sisters and mother. The man fired 14 shots at Carlos and waited for two days next to the body, until he surrendered. Now, he serves a 12-year prison sentence in Uruguayafter a trial that citizens were able to watch live on YouTube and caused popular outrage in the country.
According to a report from BBC News, Sara Martínez denounced her father at the age of 12, after witnessing her older sister, Ana, being sexually abused. She told the British broadcaster that she wrote “sexual abuse” on a piece of paper and gave it to a school friend, who took the note to the principal.
Sara reported to the British broadcaster that, After the complaint, he went through a series of traumatic experiences, especially during interrogations by forensic experts. After the investigation, Carlos Martínez was sentenced to three years in prison, but only served one.
According to the young woman’s testimony, physical and sexual abuse had been taking place within the home for years. She stated that her father abused her and her sister when her mother went to work and that, after the attacks, he used to ask for forgiveness and take her an alfajor, a sweet that she liked. “Today I can’t even eat,” he told the reporter.
Still according to Sara, the family never allowed Charles to return to live with them after leaving prison. Even so, she stated that the father continued to appear at the school where he studied and, later, at your workplace.
The BBC report reports that Moisés Martínez only discovered the extent of the abuse in May 2025, after talking to his mother and sisters. According to the family, he learned that his father had committed physical and sexual attacks against his mother and daughters for years.
Sara stated that she tried to stop her brother from confronting their father. During the conversation between the two, she revealed details of the violence to show “what her father was capable of”. Even so, Moses decided to look for him.
The following day, in Montevideo, capital of Uruguay, Moisés killed his father with 14 shots and remained next to the body for two days before handing himself over to the police. The case had great national repercussion and, according to the BBC, the trial was followed live by thousands of Uruguayans on YouTube.
Moses ended up sentenced to 12 years in prison. The defense tried to apply a provision in the Uruguayan Penal Code that provides for judicial pardon in cases of homicide committed under “intense commotion” caused by prolonged domestic violence, but judge María Noel Odriozola rejected the request.
As lawyer Rodrigo Rey, responsible for Moisés’ defense, explained to the BBC, the judge understood that the family had not used protection mechanisms over the 15 years prior to the crime.
A conviction sparked public debate in Uruguayi about domestic violence and the State’s actions in these cases.
