Julio Vargas Zapata, a 26-year-old family friend, faces trial for aggravated violent carnal access against two sisters aged 10 and 13 in Neiva, Huila. After the assaults, he threatened the minors with killing their parents if they spoke out. Prosecutors presented evidence from complaints and statements detailing the abuses in 2023 and 2025.
In Neiva, capital of Huila, 26-year-old Julio Vargas Zapata faces a prison sentence of 16 to 30 years for aggravated violent carnal access. As a family friend of the victims, the accused exploited trust to enter their homes and carry out assaults on two sisters.
The first assault occurred in 2023 against the 10-year-old in the Alfonso López neighborhood. Vargas Zapata entered her room, started an inappropriate sexual conversation, and despite the girl's resistance, undressed and touched her intimately. Hearing the parents arrive, he threatened: “No fuera a contar nada a sus padres o si no los podría matar” (Don't tell your parents or I'll kill them). The minor initially stayed silent.
In April 2025, the same victim, then 13, endured another abuse while riding a motorcycle with the man. He inappropriately touched her during the trip and invited her to a hotel, threatening her again when she refused.
The older sister, 14, was assaulted in the accused's apartment in the Las Américas neighborhood. After luring her to join him for lunch under false pretenses, he locked her in, forcibly undressed her, and raped her, ignoring her pleas. The 28th Sectional Prosecutor from Neiva's Special Unit for Crimes Against Minors recounted these events in the accusation hearing before the Second Criminal Circuit Judge.
Vargas Zapata remains in intramural detention as he is deemed a danger to the victims. Prosecutors state he acted with full awareness of the illegality, harming the minors' sexual integrity based on complaints and material evidence.
