Man suspected of ordering murder of three Argentine women arrested

Peruvian authorities have apprehended a key suspect linked to the brutal murders of two 20-year-old women and a 15-year-old girl in Argentina. The victims, identified as Morena Verdi, Brenda del Castillo, and Lara Morena Gutiérrez, were lured to a house near Buenos Aires on September 19 under the false promise of payment for attending a party. Their mutilated bodies were discovered days later, buried in the garden of the property. The crime, which was livestreamed on Instagram to a closed group of 45 people, has sparked widespread outrage and anti-femicide protests across Argentina. The suspect, Tony Janzen Valverde Victoriano, also known as ‘Little J,’ was captured by Peruvian police while hiding in a fish-transporting van on a motorway 70 kilometers south of Lima. Peruvian police also detained Matías Ozorio, Valverde’s alleged right-hand man, in a separate operation. Ozorio, an Argentine national, claimed he was coerced into entering Peru by a drug gang to whom he owed money. Argentine authorities have praised Peruvian police for their swift action in capturing the suspects. Valverde, a Peruvian citizen, will remain in custody in Peru pending an extradition request from Argentina, while Ozorio is set to be handed over to Argentine police.