In an unexpected turn, the main suspect in the femicide of Agostina Jalabert, the Argentine model murdered in Playa del Carmen, was finally captured in the United States. Juan Manuel Reverter, 38, was arrested this Thursday in Deschutes County, Oregon, during a joint operation by the U.S. Marshals Service, Interpol Washington, Homeland Security Investigations, and Border Patrol. The news came as a shock to the fugitive, who had been evading justice for over three years.
Reverter had an Interpol red notice and had been internationally wanted since the Mexican prosecutor’s office changed the initial hypothesis of the case: what was initially treated as a suicide is now being investigated as a femicide. According to the accusation, the man allegedly struck Agostina in the face and body, applied pressure to her neck until she died, and then manipulated the scene to make it look like a suicide. He used a belt that he placed around the victim’s neck and tied her to a hand towel rack.
The capture occurred around 7:30 a.m., in an operation involving several federal agencies. So far, authorities have not revealed where Reverter was hiding or the exact circumstances of his arrest. What is clear is that the arrest is not related to any crime committed in Oregon, but to the international request issued by Mexico.
The Jalabert family, who never stopped fighting for justice, burst with emotion upon learning the news. Agostina’s sisters, Camila and Candela, posted a message on social media: «Three years counted in hours waiting for justice. The day has come. We were never going to stop fighting for you.» An uncle of the victim, Germán Jalabert, had previously stated: «We always suspected that the story was not as the now-wanted man told it.»
Now, U.S. justice must proceed with the extradition process to Mexico. Reverter has registered addresses in La Plata and Viedma, but his whereabouts had been unknown since February 2023. In January of this year, federal judge of guarantees of Viedma, Ezequiel Humberto Andreani, had already ordered his capture to process the extradition.
The case of Agostina Jalabert shocked Argentina and Mexico. The model, 31, originally from Carmen de Patagones, had moved to Playa del Carmen in 2022 to continue her career. She lived with her sister Candela in an apartment. Reverter traveled later to reconcile the relationship and ended up staying in the home. In the early morning of February 18, 2023, Candela returned and found the door with the code changed. A guard told her that disturbances had been heard and that neighbors had called the police twice. When Reverter finally opened the door, he asked about Agostina. It was the model’s dog that led Candela to the bathroom, where she found the body tied with a belt to a towel rack.
The family hired forensic teams, gathered documentation, and demanded that the case file be reviewed. The intervention of a specialized femicide task force and the change of prosecutor allowed the investigation to be redirected. Now, with Reverter behind bars, the possibility arises that, after more than three years, the accusation will be discussed before Mexican justice and the family can learn the truth about Agostina’s last hours of life.
che al fin lo agarraron al forro este para mi es un patriarca mas q se cree dueño de la vida de una mina ojala le den perpetua en mexico pero yo creo q la justicia burguesa es complice del patriarcado justicia para agostina abajo el sistema machista
para mi este hdp merece la silla electrica ya mismo no extradicion mexico q lo mande al patibulo justicia para agostina estos hijos de mil mierda no tienen q vivir mas