Murder of Argentinian woman no longer reported as femicide after perpetrator identified as transgender

News outlets had, until recently, stated that 28-year-old prostitute Brenda Córdoba was murdered by a man, however, reports now state that the suspected killer does not identify as male.

According to La Voz, the incident took place in November 2021, however the suspect, Alex Maia Sam Estela, and an alleged accomplice, Christian Santiago Machado Abad, were arrested following a raid in October of this year. Estela, they note, identifies as transgender, while Abad is a transvestite.

In their reporting, La Voz goes to great lengths to ensure readers are aware of Estela's gender, using "she" pronouns and referring to Estela as a trans woman.

They note that, while "at first the investigators suspected that the aggressor was a man due to the clothing he was wearing at the time of the incident," via contribution from witnesses who saw security camera footage of the attack, it was discovered that Estela actually identified as transgender.

In the footage, Estela attacks Cordóba from behind before stabbing her three times in the chest. While Estela and Estela's accomplice fled the scene, she was transported to hospital but died days later as a result of her injuries.

The attack was reportedly a "territorial dispute" between Cordóba and Estela, who both laid claim to the street corner the former had been working at the time.

When news first broke of Cordóba's killing, the case was treated as femicide. Under Argentinian law, this is seen as an "aggravated type of homicide," given the unique characteristics of such attacks.

It is now unclear whether, legally, Estela can be charged with femicide given Estela's gender identity, which is also protected in the country.

As Reduxx reports, this is not the first time a male attacker has claimed to be transgender after attacking a woman in Argentina; a male who abused his female partner was able to dodge gender-based violence charges after identifying as a woman.