In July 2018, English teacher Edward Vaz was murdered outside his home in Maldonado’s apartment. The sentences, aimed at two women and four men, range from 8 to 25 years in prison
By
Juan Ignacio Da Silvafrom Montevideo, Uruguay
Aerial view of the residence located in Beverly Hills, Punta del Este (Photo: Marcelo Umpierrez)
The Uruguayan Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) confirmed the sentences directed at 6 people implicated in the murder of English teacher Edward Vaz, which occurred on July 9, 2018 in Maldonado. The case -better known as “the swinger mansion” – had repercussions throughout the region due to its complexity and the number of particularities it presented, such as the link between a former Menemist chief of staff and the purchase of the land, swinger parties for millionaires, gypsies and hired killers , among others.
In July 2018, an English teacher named Edward Vaz was murdered at the door of his house, located in the department of Maldonado. The first hypothesis of the Prosecutor’s Office was that it was something related to the millionaire lawsuit that he planned to present to his ex-wife, Lulukhy Moraes, known as the princess of the gypsies in Uruguay. And it was like this: Moraes was and is the daughter of the king of the gypsies in the country.
Although it is called the “Sex Mansion”, it was learned that most of the parties were not held there
Vaz and “the gypsy princess” married, had two children and divorced amicably. They even continued to live in the same household. As it was known, both organized swinger parties for millionaires and for which they charged tickets of up to a thousand dollars. However, although the parties were said to take place in the mansion -hence the name of the case-, most of the events took place in other locations rented by the couple.
The case became relevant in Argentina when it was reported that the former Menemist chief of staff, Jorge Rodríguez, had been the one who financed the purchase of that land. In addition, it was said that he had links with one of the defendants in the case.
At a certain point, the relationship between the already divorced couple began to wear down and there were threats of death between Vaz and Moraes’ partner at the time, Mauro Machado. In this context, the English teacher moves out of the house and, some time later, he is shot. With this scenario, the Prosecutor’s Office seemed to have a clear suspect.
Lulukhy Moraes in March 2019 during a hearing. Photo: Ricardo Figueredo
But the case was more complex than it seemed and had six defendants, whose sentences were carried out in August 2020 and ratified in May 2022 by the Court of Appeals. In addition, there was a seventh man accused of having fired the shot, a person who was left out of the trial because he was arrested a year later. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the decision was made as part of a strategy.
To understand who is being sentenced, it is necessary to know some particularities of the crime. As is known, two people arrived at the door of Vaz’s, one of them rang the bell and the other fired. These are Carlos Alberti and Marcelo Barboza, the first sentenced to 25 years in prison for having rung the bell and the second -who would have fired the shot- is still waiting to be tried at the end of an investigation that is being carried out in parallel.
The person in charge of officiating as the driver of both assassins was Franco Silvera, sentenced to 8 years in prison as an accomplice. Who received the same sentence was Leticia Giachino, a friend of Moraes and the person responsible for buying the cell phones used in planning the murder.
Another of the people sentenced was the one who hired the assassins: a friend of Lulukhy Moraes’s partner named Mathías Guarteche. In this case, the Justice determined that he is entitled to 24 years in prison. Regarding Moraes and his partner, Mauro Machado, the stipulated sentence is 24 years in prison for especially aggravated homicide.
About the crime that occurred in the Beverly Hills neighborhood of Punta del Este there were many inconsistencies, mainly based on the poor preservation of the crime scene. After years of investigation, the Justice managed to reach a final ruling, although the case is still waiting for the person who pulled the trigger and ended the life of Edward Vaz in July 2018 to be sentenced.
Lulukhy (in the foreground) and to her right her friend Leticia along with others implicated in the murder of Professor Vaz Photo: Ricardo Figueredo