Silvia Guerrero: "I don't care if he was 17 or 40: the son murdered me"

BarcelonaSilvia Guerrero learned on August 21 that her son Juan had been stabbed that early morning in a fight in Tàrrega. He was 18 years old and was only a few months older than the sole accused of his death, who was 17. She still doesn't know when the trial for her son's death will be, and since then she has dedicated herself to demanding that the criminal consequences for minors be more severe and more similar to those assumed by adults. With the families of four victims, a month ago they presented 130,000 signatures in Congress to demand it. Juan's family has requested that the accused of killing him serve eight years of confinement, the maximum provided by law.

Almost nine months ago she learned that her son had died.

— It was a normal Thursday. I found out in the morning through social media. We knew instantly who it had been and that he was a minor, because they arrested him in the same place, at the moment. Juan did not enter that building alone, he went with friends and they all saw him. At the same moment, the friends told the Mossos d'Esquadra who it had been and where he was.

Did you find out through social media?

— I saw a fight on Instagram and that there was a fatal victim. I immediately recognized the area, my son lived there. I called his best friend and he told me he was very sorry, that they had stabbed him. I was paralyzed, my phone fell from my hands... I screamed and punched the table. And then I lifted my head and in front of me was my youngest son, six years old. I have had five children and he is the youngest. He was pale and crying. And I realized that I am the adult. I took him in my arms and ran towards the Arnau [the Arnau de Vilanova de Lleida Hospital].

And was he/she/it there?

— They told me he was being operated on and I had a feeling of hope. "My son is strong." And then, half an hour or three-quarters of an hour after arriving, they let us into a room with my husband and my eldest son. And the doctor told us he was very sorry, that Juan had died at 3:59 am. I was outraged. No one had contacted us since the previous dawn.

Did Juan have any relation with the processing?

— They had no relationship, but they weren't strangers either because they had been in the same high school. I don't know if it's luck or misfortune, but I don't know anyone from their family. I go through Tárrega and I don't know who their father or mother are, because I don't know anyone. This also causes me a lot of insecurity because I never know where I might run into them.

What happened that day?

— There was a fight between two families, they had been going back and forth all afternoon. Juan lived with one of the families because he was helping them through a difficult time, and at night he went downstairs to see what was happening. Downstairs, the father of the alleged killer tried to run him over. He had the car started and was maneuvering to block them. The boys got scared and looked for a door to get out of the building. There was only one open door, which unfortunately was the one Juan opened, as he was in front, with the bad luck that behind the door this guy was hiding with two knives. He went to hurt him. Joan had three very serious wounds. Because now I do know them. Before I didn't, but now I've been able to read the summary and I know exactly the wounds my son had and the severity of this act. He had a perforated right ventricle, the heart with an entry and exit wound, and the diaphragm. They can't tell me, with these wounds, that the kid made a mistake and did it unintentionally.

Why were they fighting?

— The whole discussion had started for a very absurd reason. It all came from some WhatsApp messages. The family of my son's friends claimed 100 euros that the killer's family owed them. From here, they started to disrespect each other. What angers me most is that the discussion wasn't about anything that had to do with Juan.

At what stage is the legal process?

— It's enough to make you throw your hands up in despair. On Sunday, he was released on probation. The juvenile law provides for only nine months of preventive detention. Since the 21st of this month will mark nine months since my son's death, he has been released on probation. We have requested a restraining order, and it is for two kilometers. Now it turns out I can't go shopping in Tàrrega [three kilometers from Vilagrassa, where he lives] because the murderer's parents live there, and if I go, no one can guarantee that he won't be there. Therefore, I will only go to Tàrrega now when I go to the doctor and as long as the Tàrrega City Council allows me to set up the signature table.

Between five families, you have delivered 130,000 signatures to Congress. What are you asking for?

— We need sentences to be more severe, that more consideration is given to the crime committed and not the age of the aggressor. I consider that 8 years for a life is very sad. We request that sentences for minors for serious offenses be equated a little more to adult law. In the end, the crime is the same, I don't care if they were 17 or 40 years old. My son has been murdered. I know we won't achieve them going to the same prisons because they will say they cannot be mixed, but in the minors' center, there are indeed murderers mixed with children who have stolen, for example. On the other hand, in prisons, they do keep them separated by offenses.

What answer have you found?

— The same day the signatures were delivered [on April 16] we met with the PP and they told us that in a month or a month and a half they would put on the table a request to change the minor's law. A week later we also had a video call with the PSOE: they said they were there to listen to us, but they didn't commit as much. In Catalonia, Aliança has been very attentive.