Prosecutors in Los Ríos formalized charges against three children and an ex-son-in-law of Julia Chuñil for her alleged homicide on November 8, 2024. The ex-son-in-law's confession reconstructed the crime, which stemmed from an attempted robbery of an elderly man. Prosecutor Tatiana Esquivel also accused the children of fabricating the story of the dog Cholito to evoke emotion.
On January 15, 2026, in the Los Lagos Guarantee Court, regional prosecutor Tatiana Esquivel formalized charges against Pablo San Martín, Javier Troncoso, Jeannette Troncoso, and Belmar Flavio Bastías Bastidas for the homicide of Julia del Carmen Chuñil Catricura, a 62-year-old Mapuche woman missing since November 8, 2024, in Máfil, Los Ríos region.
According to the prosecution's reconstruction, based on Bastías's confession, the crime took place in the family home in Huichaco. Javier Troncoso, drunk and agitated, arrived around 11:00 p.m. and attempted to steal $212,000 from a 90-year-old man's pension who lived there, threatening him with a knife. Julia intervened, struggled with her son, took the weapon, and threw it outside. In response, Javier beat her and asphyxiated her against a shed wall, while the others present did not intervene.
The defendants hid the body in a nearby forest, burned her clothes, and agreed to silence, filing a false missing person report. In the following weeks, the children sold Julia's assets, such as a pair of oxen for $2 million, and divided the money. Prosecutor Esquivel highlighted a context of family violence: Julia feared Javier, an alcoholic and violent man, and had sought help at local churches. Witnesses confirmed her fears, and medical records confirm prior domestic violence. This is the third homicide in that house.
The prosecution challenged the children's initial story, claiming Julia got lost in the La Fritz estate with her dog Cholito, keys, and machete. 'We have not been able to verify its existence,' Esquivel said about the animal, calling it an 'element to reinforce their narrative' for emotional impact, based on an edited social media image. The keys were with a son, and the machete and dog do not appear in initial evidence. A witness recalled a brown puppy, not Cholito.
The family's lawyer, Karina Riquelme, had accused businessman Juan Carlos Morstadt, owner of La Fritz, but his defender Carole Montory dismissed it as a distraction. Morstadt, still formally charged, plans legal action for reputational damage. The hearing continues on Friday to decide on precautionary measures; Bastías is under night house arrest for cooperating.
This case exposes family tensions and questions public narratives, with at least 15 witnesses describing Javier as violent.
