Overview
- Oral Criminal Court No. 16, presided by Judge Inés Cantisani, ordered an acquittal by dismissal after declaring the crime did not exist and finding a lack of action in the case.
- The ruling noted that complainant Melody Rakauskas was left without counsel following the consecutive resignations of three attorneys.
- The court emphasized that the Public Prosecutor’s Office did not support pursuing the accusation, which weighed in the decision.
- Rakauskas announced she will appeal and contended she was not properly notified about judicial warnings to appoint new representation.
- As background, the Supreme Court late last year rejected an appeal by Espinoza, maintained his provisional release, and ordered a no-contact restriction regarding the complainant.