20/07/2026 15:46 - Judiciales
A young mother of three was stabbed to death by her ex-partner, who was free on a conditional sentence for gender violence against the same victim.
Local Context: Córdoba is the second most populous province in Argentina, located in the center of the country. Santa María de Punilla is a town in the scenic Punilla Valley, a well-known tourist destination in the region. In Argentine law, femicide (femicidio) is the aggravated homicide of a woman motivated by gender-based violence.
According to local media reports, the incident occurred in the early hours of July 20, 2026, at a house located at the corner of Independencia and Echeverría, in the Santa María Oeste neighborhood of Santa María de Punilla.
The victim was identified as Rocío Belén Gómez, 27 years old, and mother of three children aged 8, 6, and 2. The youngest child is the daughter of both the victim and the alleged perpetrator. The aggressor, Maximiliano Ezequiel Baudraco, 40 years old, was her ex-partner and, as revealed by local sources, they were also first cousins.
The justice system reconstructed that on Sunday night, both had watched together the final match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup between Argentina and Spain. Hours later, an argument escalated into a brutal physical assault. The man allegedly beat her and then stabbed her with a knife.
The young woman's mother, who lived nearby, went out to seek help when she heard the first screams. However, upon arriving at her daughter's house, she found her lying on the street, covered in blood and already lifeless.
After committing the crime, Baudraco fled the scene walking down Independencia street, stained with blood, which alerted neighbors and allowed his quick capture. The Police deployed a lockdown operation and managed to arrest him minutes later in a nearby vacant lot.
One of the most chilling details of this case is that the aggressor was at liberty serving a conditional sentence. In Argentina, a conditional sentence (condena de ejecución condicional) means the convicted person does not go to prison immediately but must comply with certain rules. According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, in 2025, the Criminal Chamber of Cruz del Eje had sentenced him to two years and six months of conditional prison for crimes of coercion and aggravated damage. This case was initiated by Rocío's own mother due to previous acts of violence against the same victim.
The case is in the hands of the Cosquín Instruction Prosecutor's Office No. 2, led by prosecutor Silvana Pen, who charged Baudraco with aggravated homicide by femicide. Judicial experts and police forces are working at the crime scene to collect evidence and testimonies.
This event marks the sixth femicide recorded in the province of Córdoba in the year 2026, sounding alarms about gender-based violence in the region and the effectiveness of conditional sentences in protecting victims.
If you or someone you know is suffering from gender-based violence in Argentina, you can contact the national hotline 144 for free, available 24 hours a day, or the Women's Center of Córdoba at 0800-888-9898. Help is always available, and there are resources dedicated to protecting and supporting victims.
Alfredo S. Quiroga
