Where are Guillermo Luque and Luis Tula now? Insights into Argentina’s first recognized femicide in the Maria Soledad case
The Maria Soledad Case is the focus of the Netflix documentary Breaking the Silence: The Maria Soledad Case, released on October 10, 2024, in the United States. Running for 1 hour and 35 minutes, the documentary focuses on the tragic events of a crime in Argentina during the 1990s.
María Soledad Morales, a 17-year-old girl, was r*ped and murdered in 1990 after attending a party in Catamarca. María died from cardiac arrest caused by a forced cocaine overdose. Her body also showed signs of extreme violence, including a broken jaw and cigarette burns. Despite suspicions that more individuals were involved, Guillermo Luque and Luis Tula were the only ones convicted.
Guillermo Luque and Luis Tula have since been released, but their lives after release show that their past actions continue to cast shadows over their futures.
Current whereabouts of Guillermo Luque and Luis Tula, the convicted ones in the Maria Soledad case
Authorities discovered that María Soledad had been drugged with cocaine, r*ped multiple times, and killed. The investigation uncovered a network of corrupt individuals with political ties that helped conceal the crime. Witnesses linked Guillermo Luque to the murder after identifying his vehicle, and Luis Raul Tula was also implicated.
Prosecutors argued that Tula handed María over to Luque, who drugged, r*ped, and murdered her, possibly with help from his friends. In 1998, Luque was sentenced to 27 years in prison. His friends Hugo Ibáñez and Luis Méndez were also investigated. After serving 14 years, Luque was released in 2010 for good behavior, having worked at a law firm while in prison.
After his release in April 2010, Guillermo Daniel Luque returned to San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca and resumed life by indulging in his hobbies, including travel. He began dating Paola Filippin in 2016, and their shared passion for exploring has taken them to places like Rio de Janeiro, where they visited Christ the Redeemer. The duo also has a son whose identity is kept private.
Luis Tula, Soledad's boyfriend, only served five of the nine years he was given for his part in the crime. After getting out of jail in 2003, he went to Catamarca to study law and start a new life.
But in recent years, Tula has been accused of domestic violence again in 2019, which made his image even more controversial. A restraining order was made against him after his ex-wife said he tried to stab her son, but Tula hasn't responded to the claims yet.
The Maria Soledad Case got Catamarca's governor, Ramón Saadi, fired and sparked a national discussion about how to protect women's rights in Argentina. The documentary goes into great detail about how Sister Pelloni led public marches that demanded justice in a system that seemed to be set up to protect the powerful.
In a broader sense, the Maria Soledad Case shows how power works can slow down justice. After years of public pressure, Luque and Tula were finally found guilty. Even though both men were found guilty and served their time, there are still questions about the full scope of the crime and the role of other influential people.
The documentary Breaking the Silence: The Maria Soledad Case goes into these themes in great detail. Not only does it tell the story of what happened, but it also shows how Argentina has changed in how it deals with femicide and violence against women. Justice still doesn't feel complete despite the convictions because more criminals could still be out there.
Breaking the Silence: The Maria Soledad Case is streaming on Netflix.
