A 34-year-old man died early this Sunday, October 11, from a stab wound to the chest at the intersection of Colombia and Las Torres streets in Recoleta. A 40-year-old Chilean man was arrested after admitting to Carabineros that he had caused the injury.
According to La Tercera, the victim was found lying in the street. Meganoticias added that he was homeless.
On orders from the Public Prosecutor's Office (the prosecution service), detectives from the North Central Homicide Brigade of the Investigative Police (PDI) and forensic specialists from the Criminalistics Laboratory (Labocar) arrived at the scene.
Commissioner Sergio Mendoza, of that brigade, explained that the forensic medical examination identified a single wound on the front right side of the chest.
After admitting that he had inflicted the wound, the 40-year-old man was arrested in flagrante, meaning at the time of or immediately after the incident. According to police, the suspect said that he had fought with the victim at that same intersection.
Investigators have yet to establish how the confrontation began or unfolded. Asked about possible self-defense, Mendoza declined to comment and said that the sequence of events "is part of the investigation".
The PDI is also examining the possibility of a robbery, although it has not yet been confirmed that the incident began with an attempted robbery.
The investigation includes gathering security camera footage, collecting evidence at the scene and taking statements from witnesses and the suspect, if he agrees to speak.
Police preliminarily determined that both men reportedly lived near the scene. Regarding their records, Mendoza said that "both reportedly had some prior arrests", but said he did not know for which offenses.
The case is at the detention stage. The evidence gathered by the PDI will be passed to the Public Prosecutor's Office, which must decide whether to formally notify the detained man of the investigation, meaning informing him before a pretrial judge that he is being investigated over this incident. The sources have not yet reported the date of that hearing or the case number.
