Hearing postponed again for teacher accused of raping and burying student

SANTIAGO.-  The initial hearing for the trial against Antonio Carvajal Valdivieso has been postponed for the second time.  Carvajal is a former Art Teacher that is accused of raping, murdering and burying his student, María Isabel Pérez, in the yard at his home in Macul and of beating another student, identified as Carla Ramos, in September of 2007.

The decision to postpone the hearing was made by Judge Natacha Ruz after a request was issued by the defendant through a letter that was sent to the magistrate on Monday of this week.

In the letter, Carvajal asks that his defense attorneybe replaced since, in his opinion, he has been badly defended by the Public Criminal Defense Office.   

The defendant adds that he feels that he is being persecuted by the public prosecutor in charge of the investigation, Rodrigo Lazo, who is also the Public Prosecutor of La Florida, and asked that he also be replaced.

As a result of the request, as well as a fear of problems arising during the trial, Judge Ruz accepted the defendant’s petition and called on the Public Criminal Defense Office to assign him a new representative, forcing the hearing to be postponed.