In brief
In a significant development in the 2015 murder of Venezuelan rapper Canserbero, five individuals, including a forensic expert and three police officers, have been sentenced to 15-20 years in prison for aiding in the crime cover-up. Natalia Améstica, the rapper's manager, had previously confessed to the murders, revealing a calculated plan to stage the scene as a suicide.
In a landmark case, five individuals have been sentenced to prison for their involvement in the cover-up of the 2015 murder of Venezuelan rapper Canserbero, whose real name was Tirone González. This includes a forensic expert, three police officers, and a music impresario, all found guilty of conspiring to alter evidence to suggest the rapper's death was a suicide rather than a brutal murder.Canserbero was determined to have been drugged and stabbed by his manager, Natalia Améstica, after she learned he no longer wanted to work with her. Following the fatal attack, Améstica, alongside her brother Guillermo, disposed of Canserbero’s body from a tenth-floor apartment window while staging the scene to appear as a murder-suicide. The five sentenced on Tuesday received prison terms ranging from 15 to 20 years for their roles in manipulating the crime scene. Both Natalia and Guillermo Améstica had been previously sentenced to 25 years in February for their direct involvement in the murder. The shocking details of the night of Canserbero's death emerged following Natalia’s confession in December 2023, where she stated that she had drugged both her boyfriend, Carlos Molnar, and Canserbero prior to the violent altercations that ensued. Witnessing the stabbing of Molnar, a drugged Canserbero could only stumble helplessly as Natalia turned the knife on him as well.After the attack, Guillermo Améstica called upon three police officers from Venezuela's intelligence agency, Sebin, to assist in the cover-up. In her confession, Natalia claimed that the officers deepened the manipulation by adding additional stab wounds to Molnar's body and facilitating the arrangement of the scene to mislead investigators.Guillermo further reported that a forensic expert at the scene became suspicious of the circumstances surrounding the deaths and sought a bribe, indicating that some members of law enforcement may have been complicit in the effort to misrepresent what occurred. Additionally, Marcos Pratolongo, a music impresario linked to Canserbero, was found guilty for facilitating the crime, as crucial evidence from the rapper’s apartment had gone missing while he held the keys.The aftermath of Canserbero's tragic death reverberated throughout the Venezuelan music community and highlighted the urgent issues of violence and corruption affecting the justice system.
