During jury selection in the trial for Cecilia Strzyzowski's femicide in Chaco, a lawyer defending Emerenciano Sena was detained for attempting to film potential jurors. The incident disrupted the hearing at the Centro de Convenciones Gala in Resistencia. The selection process, started on Tuesday, was not completed and will continue on Thursday.
The jury trial for the femicide of Cecilia Strzyzowski, which occurred on June 2, 2023, at her in-laws' home in Chaco, began on Tuesday with the selection of 12 main jurors and 4 alternates from 166 preselected citizens. The victim, partner of César Sena, one of the seven defendants along with his parents Emerenciano Sena and Marcela Acuña, was presumably incinerated, and her body was never found. The prosecution presents nearly 400 pieces of evidence to prove the crime's planning, and the trial will extend until late November with over 50 witnesses in 17 hearings.
On Wednesday, during the second hearing at the Centro de Convenciones Gala in Resistencia, Nicolás Boniardi Cabra, collaborator of lawyer Ricardo Osuna in the defense of Emerenciano Sena, was detained for violating rules protecting the jurors' identity. Judicial sources indicate the lawyer panned his phone toward the jurors' section, an action prohibited even though cell phones are allowed for other purposes. Technical judge Dolly Fernández ordered the intervention of the Chaco Police's Cybercrime Division, which seized an iPhone with a green protector and sealed it in an aluminum envelope.
Boniardi Cabra, 35 years old, was transferred to the 4th Police Station in Resistencia, where he will remain detained until Thursday for his questioning. Fiscal Ana Graciela González de Pache oversees the examination of the device to check if it recorded hearing material. Before the incident, the lawyer had trouble entering the venue as his name was not on the authorized list, a situation that was resolved.
Only five of the seven lawyers could intervene that day, which included questions from the prosecutions, the fiscalia, and defenses. After two days of ten-hour hearings, the candidates requested a break when key expositions were still pending. The process, similar to a 'casting' with questionnaires to detect biases, left about 80 potential jurors at the end of Wednesday. Resumption is scheduled for Thursday at 8 a.m., aiming to form the jury and proceed to opening arguments.