February 24, 2025 • 35 mins
A day meant to honor and celebrate mothers became a moment of cruelty for a childless woman.
On October 16, 2016 police in Bella Vista were called to a bloody scene outside a residence. Piecing together what had happened that night was looking simple enough; multiple witnesses, one man dead, a suspect in custody- case solved, right? Not quite.
This is the unbelievable true story of “Higui” Eva Analía De Jesús, and how adversity, hate, and violence intersected one night.
If you or someone you know needs support for sexual violence, contact:
https://rainn.org/
Call 800.656.HOPE (4673) to be connected with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.
For LGBTQIA support, contact:
https://lgbthotline.org/
***
Method & Madness is researched, written, hosted, & produced by Dawn Cate
Music by Tymur Khakimov from Pixabay
***
Get in Touch!: methodandmadnesspod@gmail.com
CONNECT:
DIVE INTO MORE: MethodandMadnessPodcast.com
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All sources are listed on the website, under each episode description.
MethodandMadnessPodcast.com
Thank you for listening!
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/method-madness--6241524/support.
On October 16, 2016 police in Bella Vista were called to a bloody scene outside a residence. Piecing together what had happened that night was looking simple enough; multiple witnesses, one man dead, a suspect in custody- case solved, right? Not quite.
This is the unbelievable true story of “Higui” Eva Analía De Jesús, and how adversity, hate, and violence intersected one night.
If you or someone you know needs support for sexual violence, contact:
https://rainn.org/
Call 800.656.HOPE (4673) to be connected with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.
For LGBTQIA support, contact:
https://lgbthotline.org/
***
Method & Madness is researched, written, hosted, & produced by Dawn Cate
Music by Tymur Khakimov from Pixabay
***
Get in Touch!: methodandmadnesspod@gmail.com
CONNECT:
DIVE INTO MORE: MethodandMadnessPodcast.com
***
All sources are listed on the website, under each episode description.
MethodandMadnessPodcast.com
Thank you for listening!
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/method-madness--6241524/support.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
This episode contains descriptions of violence that may be disturbing
to some, specifically mentions of sexual assault and animal cruelty.
Please listen with care. Welcome to Method and Madness. This
(00:23):
is the Fight Ava's story. I'm your host, Dawn. It
was the night of October sixteenth, twenty sixteen, in Bella Vista,
Buenos Aires. Mother's Day is recognized on the third Sunday
in October, and it had been a day of celebration.
(00:44):
In Argentina, celebrating the mother's, grandmothers and mother figures means
large family gatherings to honor the women who are considered
the cornerstone of a family. It was a day of music, gifts,
and an abundance of food like casado, alphahor and facturas.
The sun had gone down and families were returning home
(01:07):
to turn in for bed, But in a corner of
Bella Vista, in a neighborhood known as Lomas de Maurillo,
a violent encounter was brewing. At approximately ten thirty pm
local time, police were summoned to an address on Yiatia Street. There,
amongst a group of small houses inhabited by one family,
(01:31):
was an outdoor alleyway leading to the street. Just far
enough away from the light of the street lamps, the
alleys sunk into darkness, where barely a shadow could be
seen there in the black of night. On the ground,
a woman named Ava Andalia de Jesus lay unconscious. The
(01:52):
police were summoned and arrived to find a man lying
just outside the alley, bloody and on the street. A
few witnesses provided details of what had occurred. It had
all started as an argument and quickly turned deadly. Officers
were informed that Christian Esposito, known as Pino to his
family and friends, had been stabbed multiple times by a
(02:15):
woman unrelated to him. The two had been having issues
for years, the witnesses said. While Christian was rushed to
a nearby hospital, Ava found herself in handcuffs, led away
by police and taken to jail. Two days later, an
article on an Argentinian news site said quote a young
(02:35):
man was killed by a woman in a neighborhood dispute.
The victim was identified as Reuben Christian Esposito, twenty eight
years old. The event took place in the so called
Lomas de Morillo neighborhood, when the woman named Ava Analia,
forty two stabbed Esposito twice in the Thoracic region. Esposito
(02:57):
died at the raul Lecarde Municipal Hospital. Members of the
Bella Vista police station, second of San Miguel arrived at
the scene of the incident and arrested the suspect. So
piecing together what had happened that night was looking simple enough.
Multiple witnesses, one man dead, the suspect in custody. Case
(03:19):
solved right, No, not even close. This case unfolds with
a series of assaults, a charge of homicide, and a
community ready to fight. Today's case takes us to Bella
(03:42):
Vista in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It's a residential area with
a suburban feel, a quiet escape from the hustle and
bustle of downtown Buenos Aires. There's a sense of community,
walkable streets, outdoor markets and restaurants. But in the neighborhood
where Christian Reuben N. Esposito took his last breath, the
area is described by law enforcement officials as hostile, with
(04:06):
many people living in poverty and homelessness rising significantly year
after year. In twenty sixteen, forty two year old Ava
Andalia de Jesus knew too well about the hardships of
making ends meet while living in Bella Vista. Now she
was in jail, arrested for homicide and awaiting trial for
(04:27):
the police. It wasn't surprising that someone like Ava would
end up there. Born on June seventh, nineteen seventy four,
in Hyato, Buenos Aires, Ava barely had the opportunity to
spend her days like a typical kid. She lived with
her mother, who was absent from the home a lot working,
which meant Ava was the caretaker for her younger six siblings,
(04:51):
five sisters and one brother. Due to those responsibilities, Ava's
grades suffered and she had no choice but to complete
primary school by attending evening classes. Still in the midst
of her adult like duties, Ava found an escape in
the form of a football field, or soccer as we
call it in the US. It turned out Ava had
(05:13):
prowess as a goalkeeper and earned the nickname of Hige,
after the Colombian goalkeeper Rina Higita. If you're not familiar
with him, I highly recommend looking up his scorpion kick
on YouTube. Even if you're not a sports fan, it's
quite a sight to see. For the purposes of this story,
I'll refer to Ava as Hige from here on out.
(05:36):
The thought of growing up of one day reaching adulthood
seemed an impossible dream for Hige. Adults had betrayed her
in education was never prioritized. At fifteen, she left home,
determined to make it on her own. She lived with
her sister Tati for a few years, and by the
age of eighteen, Hige roomed with some teammates from soccer
(05:59):
to make ends me. She walked dogs in Palermo and
found that she had a knack for fixing things. Hege
slowly acquired various tools to repair things for her community,
and she got various jobs gardening. Her ideal job was
to be a soldier or a police officer, but employment
in those fields never came to fruition. Heige wasn't tall
(06:20):
enough to qualify for those positions, and any traditional employer
passed on hiring her as she was a masculine presenting lesbian.
Due to poverty and her sexuality, Hige faced more than
just ordinary obstacles in life. She faced harassment and assault.
(06:41):
Heige was sexually assaulted for the first time at the
age of ten. The sexual abuse continued until he was
thirteen years old, and each of her attackers were a
romantic partner of her mother's. From a young age, Heige
learned a hard truth. Nobody, not even the adults in
(07:02):
her own family, was going to look out for her.
She had no protection, no defender. Nobody was coming to
save her. As an adult, Hege was viewed as a
target in and around her neighborhood in Bella Vista. She
was a walking symbol of what many people had been
conditioned to detest. An unmarried, childless lesbian from a low
(07:27):
social class. She would endure verbal attacks, sometimes by the
same people in the neighborhood. Over and over again. The
verbal attacks escalated. Her house had once been burned to
the ground, her soccer trophies inside. Her dog was also killed. Still,
Hege kept moving forward. She rebuilt her home a hut
(07:50):
with no plumbing, which flooded and made it inhabitable. Some
of the time, she stayed connected to her sisters and
contributed to her community. She knew nobody else was going
to do it for her. October sixteenth, twenty sixteen, Heige
(08:11):
visited her sister and nephews in the neighborhood of Lamas
de Marillo to celebrate Mother's Day. The adults engaged in
an afternoon of conversation, eating and drinking beer while the
kids ran around and played. After ten pm, Hige sent
her goodbyes and headed to a nearby residence at a
housing complex where some of her friends were gathering. Upon
(08:34):
her arrival, Heige was warned by another friend that one
of the men in attendance was Christian Esposito. He and
his friends had been harassing Heve for years, verbally accosting
her in and around the neighborhood because of her sexuality,
calling her homophobic slurs, and threatening her with violence. Heige
(08:56):
was under the impression that Christian had been kicked out
out of the neighborhood, that their mutual friends didn't even
want him around anymore because of his history of violence.
He was known to abuse pills, hit women and children,
and kick animals. Now discovering that this man was there
in her presence, Higee thought it best to leave. Around
(09:21):
ten thirty p m. Local time, Hige was leaving the
housing complex, walking through the dark alleyway toward the street.
Minutes later, Christian Esposito was dead and Heige was in jail.
As the cold steel bars closed. Heige sat in jail
in what seemed like a fog as she tried to
recall what had happened before she lost consciousness in the alleyway.
(09:46):
She struggled to even open her eyes. They were swollen shut,
her body was sore all over, and she hadn't yet
been informed of why she was being detained. She didn't
know yet that Christian Esposito was dead. As her memories
began to creep back in, Hige tried to explain to
the police what had happened. That she'd been beaten and
(10:07):
almost raped. Showing the officers some of the bruises she'd received.
Hegee explained that a group of men had ambushed her
on her way home, attacked her from behind. They'd shouted
at her that she was a filthy lesbian and they
were going to make a woman out of her. According
to Jigy, one of the officers responded, who would want
(10:28):
to rape you an ugly lesbian? Buenos Aires is often
referred to as one of the most liberal and gay
friendly cities in Latin America. There's been progressive legislation throughout Argentina,
granting the LGBTQIA more rights still that dozen protect against
the discrimination that has faced the community, worldwide discrimination that
(10:52):
often comes from law enforcement themselves. Hige gestured toward her
disheveled and dirty clothes, the area of her pants that
were torn near her genitals, but neither her clothing nor
her visual injuries prompted the officers to display any empathy
or curiosity to find out more. It didn't exactly come
(11:13):
as a shock to her. Higee had become accustomed to
this life, used to being treated a certain way by
all of society, from law enforcement to civilians. Raped as
a child over and over again by adults who should
have been her caretakers, harassed in adulthood for simply existing.
Hige was informed that she was being charged with simple homicide.
(11:43):
While out buying a beer in nineteen ninety four, she'd
been surrounded by a group of men who yelled homophobic
slurs at her. This treatment became Hige's norm over the years.
She was continuously targeted, her bicycle, stolen, stones thrown at
her while waiting for a bus with her girlfriend, and
in two thousand and two, she was once again surrounded
(12:06):
by a group of men shouting slurs at her. This time,
she was beaten, stabbed in the back, and hospitalized. When
she was released from the hospital, she returned home to
find her hut was just a pile of ashes and
her dog had been killed. The men who'd put her
in the hospital had made sure she didn't have anything
to come home to. Now charged with homicide, just as
(12:30):
she was used to, Hege was on her own. Nobody
was coming to save her. Prosecutor Munos was already building
a case against Heige based on the statements given by
the inhabitants at the housing complex where Christian was killed.
There was a certain narrative taking shape. Highee had come
(12:50):
from out of nowhere and stabbed Christian in the heart twice.
For the police, no amount of evidence could convince them otherwise.
It was an open and shutcase. A masculine looking woman
with a grudge had attacked a man. It was simply
unbelievable that Hege was beaten and almost raped, or maybe
(13:11):
even worse than unbelievable, not even an idea worth considering.
But Heige was desperately pleading to be heard. As she
sat behind bars, feeling hopeless, she told her story to
her sister and to her lawyers. Dressed in a jogging seat.
That evening, Hige had said her helloes and her goodbyes
(13:33):
to her friends and was walking through the dark to
the street. She knew to be vigilant at all times,
and after just a few moments she was reminded of why.
From behind her as Heige walked, she heard the voices
of at least three men. One of those voices she
(13:53):
recognized as Pino aka Christian Esposito. It happened fast. She
felt blows to the back of her body as she
was thrown to the ground and threatened with the words
We're going to make you a woman, effing lesbian. On
the ground, she felt more blows to her body, kick
(14:13):
after kick, as at least two others joined in on
the beating. Hige managed to get into a fetal position
to protect herself as her attackers pulled her by her legs,
kicking her in the hips and the genitals. The horror
intensified there in the dark when Hige heard one of
the attackers saying something about a stick. As her pants
(14:35):
were tugged at and her underwear ripped. Fearing she was
about to be raped and then killed, Heige held onto
the fence with her right hand her dominant hand, and
with her left hand reached inside her shirt, gripping the
handle of the gardening knife she carried at night, the
one she always had on her While walking through this
(14:55):
particular neighborhood, she extended her arm knife in hand to
attempt to thwart off her attackers. At some point, she
passed out. The next thing Hege remembered was the blue
lights of a patrol car. The following morning, she was
taken to Belgrano Hospital, where she was examined by doctor
Laura Isabel Salvatorio. Her injuries indicated she'd been beaten and
(15:19):
had possibly suffered a concussion. Her injuries were visible. She
had a scrape on her left cheekbone, bruising and swelling
around her left eye, a bruise on her right shoulder,
and another bruise on her right hip. There was also
a scrape on the back of her right forearm, a
bruise on her right knee, and a scrape on the
knuckle of her right hand back. At the detainment center,
(15:42):
three days passed before Heige was allowed visitors. Her sister
came and took photos of the injuries, including her black
eyes and bruises to her lower back and shoulder. The
Saint Martin public prosecutor Ignacio Korea told the press that
there was no evidence that Heige was attacked. Correote referred
(16:03):
to the statements he received from two witnesses that said
completely unprovoked, Hige had stabbed Esposito during an argument. What
the prosecutor failed to mention was that the two witnesses
that gave the only official documented version of the Knight's
events were the friends of Christian Esposito and were with
(16:23):
him when Hige was attacked. One could ascertain that they
had been involved with the assault on Hige. Other witnesses
also came forward to corroborate more men from the same
family associated with Christian Esposito, and the few witnesses that
weren't men were women, women that knew not to go
(16:44):
against what the men had said. This, according to activists
in Buenos Aires, was common in their society. A woman's
value was defined by her ability to bear children. The
irony lies in the fact that a day meant to
honor and celebrate mothers became a moment of cruelty for
a woman who is childless. Eight months later, in June
(17:13):
twenty seventeen, Hege was released from jail after her lawyers
fought relentlessly on her behalf. Her freedom was only temporary.
She still faced the charge of simple homicide and was
awaiting trial. It was her against her attackers, against the
police and the prosecution. Her side of the story was
(17:34):
never investigated. It did not exist in the eyes of
the law. Her clothing had not been taken into evidence.
For all those reasons and more, her story had gained
widespread attention, with activists raising their voices in protest, highlighting
that she'd only defended herself from a violent assault. Supporters
(17:56):
who believed she acted appropriately and in self defense took
to social media, calling for justice and using hashtag Hige
to spread the word. Even Colombian goalkeeper Rina Hagita, whom
Higee owes her nickname, took to social media to call
for justice. Her story was being heard throughout Argentina and beyond.
(18:19):
Headlines tagged as gender violence said calls in Argentina for
release of Hige, a lesbian who killed would be rapist.
Human rights lawyer and activist Gabriella Conder said quote, it's
something that happens to a lot of lesbians because it
has to do with the embedded hate that the society
(18:39):
has for anyone that's different. Hege acted in self defense.
If she weren't carrying a knife today, she'd be another victim.
The family of Christian Esposito also took to social media,
using their own voices to express anger and outrage. One
family member posted on Facebook quote supposedly they released the
(19:02):
son of a bitch who killed my cousin. What a
shitty justice this Argentinian crazy slut. All because she is
a lesbian woman, she has the right to kill and
walk in the street. We ourselves are going to be
the justice this time. Defense lawyer Raquel Hermida told the
press that Christian Esposito's family began sending intimidating messages to
(19:26):
Hige's sister. Prosecutor Liliana Trikariko, asked for ten years in
prison for homicide and ruled out self defense. Among the
reasons for seeking a guilty verdict, The prosecution said was
that Hige was dirty, disheveled and defended herself like a man.
(19:48):
Let's take a break. The murder trial well for Hige
started in March of twenty twenty two, it had been
four and a half years. Her supporters showed up in droves,
marching outside of the courthouse, holding up signs that read
(20:11):
I would defend myself like Hige. People who had never
met Hige, now forty seven, felt drawn to her story.
Feminists and members of the LGBTQIA demanded her acquittal. There
were about thirty people's scheduled to testify for the prosecution.
Many of them were members of the Ricaldi family, the
(20:32):
ones who lived in the housing complex where the attack
had taken place. Some of those who were testifying Hige
had once considered friends. Nobody testified on Hige's behalf. Police
officer Barrios vividly recalled the moment he assisted Hige after
her arrest. On the stand, he described how, despite her
(20:54):
painful injuries, he'd helped her slowly get changed, trying not
to cause her further distress. He remembered how he couldn't
lift her arms because of the bruises and injuries, and
her clothes were torn and soiled. Sandro Ramirez, who'd been
in attendance at the Ricaldi home that night, provided crucial
(21:15):
testimony during the trial. Ramirez recalled that he'd been with
Christian Esposito earlier that day, as the two joined family
and friends to celebrate Mother's Day. Among those at the
gathering was Hige Ava DeJesus Soandra Ramirez testified that there'd
been an incident that day in which a boy had
(21:35):
dropped a bottle of wine, which had set off Christian Esposito,
who kicked the child. Ramirez went on to say that
tempers had been high, and once things had calmed down
a bit, he saw the arm of a person pass
over Christian's right shoulder from behind and stab him a
couple of times. When Ramirez turned to see who the
(21:56):
aggressor was, it was Ava Dejsous. At that moment, Christian
managed to punch Ava in the face, causing her to
fall to the ground and faint. That was they said,
how she'd gotten her injuries. Two women from the family
testified that they saw Heigee after Christian was stabbed, and
that she was acting normal and laughed as she got
(22:18):
into the patrol car. But the severity of Hige's injuries
we were all recorded at Bolgrano hospital, where she'd been
taken for medical attention. The photos showed how she was disfigured,
her eyes closed and swollen from the blows, in a
state of shock, probably with a concussion, and at risk
(22:38):
of convulsion from the kicks to the head. And that's
not to mention the damage to her kidneys and genital area,
the dirt on her clothes, the torn underwear. The testimony
provided by the witnesses for the prosecution, the court found
was all inconsistent with other evidence, namely the mechanics of
(22:59):
the situation in which hege allegedly came from behind to
stab Christian twice in the chest. Let's get into that
Christian Esposito was five foot eight, heighe was under five
foot and it's improbable that she could have reached her
hand over Christian's shoulder and stabbed him in the chest.
(23:20):
It also didn't add up with the type of injuries
that Christian had and the angle at which the knife
entered a sternum. In short, the autopsy report was consistent
with what hehe had said happened, and there was no
accounting for why she had the extent of her injuries.
Christian Esposito's autopsy was conclusive in indicating that the penetrating
(23:44):
puncture wound entered the left sternal region parallel to the sternum,
causing a blunt injury to the left rib cage with
rib fractures, leading to massive bleeding and traumatic cardio respiratory arrest.
Now this is significant because it was a perfect wound
to an important muscle. When asked if the deceased could
(24:04):
have thrown a punch at Higy after being stabbed, the
doctor stated emphatically no, not from any view. Hige testified
in her own defense and said that day she'd had
a great time with her sister and nephews. She had
actually stopped going to the neighborhood because Pino hated her,
but that day she went because she missed her sister,
(24:27):
Marianna and her nephews. As night fell, she said her
goodbyes and told the court that she went over to
greet some friends from the other family. One of them,
her friend, Katie, warned her be careful because Pino is here,
but hang out for a little while. Hige testified that
she saw a group of people hanging around outside, the
(24:49):
men who would later be her attackers. Despite Katie's insistence
that she stay, Hige felt uneasy. She said she'd have
one more beer before lee. It wasn't long before things
started to escalate. From across the courtyard, she saw a
teenager that she had helped raise like a child of
her own, and he was crying. She said. She immediately
(25:13):
sensed trouble. Her legs were shaking, a nervous energy filling
her as she realized the situation was rapidly spiraling out
of control. She had an instinct that Christian Esposito, who'd
gone out earlier with others to buy more wine, might
be behind why the child was crying, and her instinct
was correct, as that teen had accidentally dropped the bottle
(25:35):
of wine on the floor, breaking it, causing Christian to
kick him. So Higey, feeling like things were not safe,
said she started to leave, and as she walked through
the alleyway and was near the street, she heard, you
fucking lesbian. We are going to make you a woman.
She described the attack on how she got herself into
(25:55):
a ball on the ground to protect herself. She remembered
being put in the patrol car, that her head hurt
and she couldn't speak. She didn't remember being taken to
the infirmary, but days later, when she took a shower
at the detainment center. The water hurt and one of
her teeth fell out. Prosecutor Trikariko was eager to get
(26:16):
to the moment when Hege stabbed Christian Esposito. He asked
her to get to the point. I think I reacted
when they hit me hard. She then gestured to the
area of her genitals and pulled down my pants. I
thought they were going to kill me. I defended myself
as best I could. It was like that, a flash
(26:38):
at the end. I don't remember. Imagine if it happens
to you. When asked about carrying a knife, Hige responded
that the group of men had already set fire to
her house and hit her on multiple occasions, threatened her
with violence, and she started carrying the knife for her
own safety. So you took out the knife, the prosecutor asked, yes,
(27:02):
Hege responded, but I can't say because it was a
flash then. I don't remember. I saw everything black shadows.
As for the number of attackers, Hige said she thought
there were at least four, two of them she did
not know by name. When asked if Christian Esposito had
attacked her, Hige testified quote. Yes, he was the first one.
(27:28):
I dream about what they did to me. They kicked
my whole head. I heard four kids, and beyond that
more kids came shouting. I fainted, maybe because I was
drinking beer all day. I don't take drugs or even
take an aspirin. I drank eight beers that day from
eleven in the morning, and I drink a lot because
(27:48):
I was very violated. And now I am better, thanks
to the people who support me. One detail that hadn't
lined up with Hegee's account was brought up. The judges
asked he what she had to say about the location
of Christian's body. It had been out in the street
when police arrived, not in the dark alley. She thought
(28:09):
Christian had been taken out into the street by his
friends while she lay unconscious. Hige insisted that the attack
had happened as she originally detailed it inside the alleyway.
She never wavered from her story, and the narrative that
she had just been walking down the street and came
across Christian and decided to stab him was false. The
(28:32):
judges also asked if Heigey had any problems with Sandra Ramirez,
a friend of Christian's and the witness for the prosecution.
Heige explained she had once been kissed by a woman
who later became engaged to Sandro. She thought that added
to the hatred the men had for her. Hige's statement
ended at two forty pm. For the first time since
(28:55):
October sixteenth, twenty sixteen. The Argentine justice system had asked
Gigy what happened to her, why she'd been beaten that day,
and she responded simply that they wanted to rape and
kill her with a stick. The president of the Oral
Criminal Court number seven of San Martin asked Hige if
she wanted to speak one last time before deliberation. She responded, quote,
(29:19):
I didn't want it to end like this. I didn't
want more violence than what I have on top of me.
I'm going to carry this until the end of my days.
Court was then dismissed and deliberations were underway. It was
only a few hours later when the verdict was in
Eva and Nalia de Jesus. Hige had defended herself on
(29:43):
the stand. Her story had never changed, and she even
apologized to the court for never having had children. Now
it was time for the verdict to be read quote,
all the members of the court have gathered and the
Court or unanimously resolves to issue an acquittal verdict for
(30:03):
ava Analia de Jesus. Cheers broke out in the courtroom
from supporters and activists as Highy smiled and thanked them.
She could hear the excitement from outside the courtroom, too,
where more of her advocates had been waiting for the verdict.
Gripping a soccer ball, a gift from the local girls team,
(30:24):
Hege walked out of the court and was embraced by
her community, a community that had stood up for her
and stood behind her when she needed it the most,
at a time when true justice needed to be fought for.
During a celebration afterward, she addressed her supporters and said, quote,
(30:45):
I appreciate the strength, the affection, the wisdom, the protection,
the respect that only you gave me. Thanks for the defense,
Thanks for not lowering your arms. She went on to
remind the crowd of Tewell de Latore, a young transman
who'd gone missing a year earlier. He'd gone out on
a work appointment and never came back. His destroyed phone
(31:09):
and jacket were later found at the home of his
potential new employer, a man named Luis Alberto Ramos. Teywell's
whereabouts are still unknown. Highe was now an activist herself
and pledged to continue fighting to march for feminist causes,
and she was awarded recognition from the National Ministry of Women,
(31:31):
Gender and Diversity. Supporters on Twitter announced the news with excitement.
Heighe acquitted self. Defense is Pride user lemon Lena wrote, quote,
my mom, the same one who got me out of
the car screaming and slapped me when she found out
that I was bisexual, just sent me a message excited
(31:51):
about the acquittal of Hige, and she wrote publicly I
would defend myself like her. We are doing something right. Still,
the victory was yet to be confirmed. The prosecution appealed,
and it took another nine months before Hige learned of
her fate. In December of twenty twenty two, she got
(32:12):
that confirmation. Hige was free. One of her lawyers, Shiki Condor,
was relieved for the victory, but criticized the patriarchal justice system,
saying quote, they have to believe us when we report abuse.
Nothing was investigated here about what they did to Hige.
The only thing that the prosecutor saw is how to
(32:35):
criminalize Hige for being a woman, dark skinned, poor and
a lesbian. The first thing the state does with Hige,
who has suffered multiple forms of violence is to lock
her up and imprison her. That speaks of an absent state.
It's interesting that prosecutor Liliana Trikariko stated one of the
(32:57):
reasons for charging Hige was that she defended herself quote
like a man. But the men in the story had
come in numbers in the dark from behind and attacked
a woman who was smaller than them who was minding
her business. I'd say she defended herself like a badass,
like someone who found a talent at a young age
(33:19):
in defending a goal. In the early two thousands, authorities
in South Africa noticed a rise in sexual assault. There's
a horrible term for a horrible act and its global.
It's called corrective rape. It's a hate crime where a
sexual assault is committed with the purpose of correcting or
(33:39):
curing someone of their identity, whether it be homosexuality or
gender nonconformity. Let me ask this, how many times do
you think corrective rape has resulted in someone becoming straight?
Justice Forrahige came the form of her acquittal, but her
mistreatment by the police and the prosecution, as well as
(34:01):
the attack on her that night in October twenty sixteen,
well that justice is yet to be seen. After her acquittal,
Higee told the press quote, I used to be in
the same circle in the neighborhood. I didn't know all
the women's groups. I didn't go on Facebook. Now I
know all. This is really good because sometimes you think
(34:23):
you're alone. It's thanks to all the girls who supported me,
the noise they made. Now I go out with my
head held high. I'm not ashamed of anything. I walk
as I please. I do not have to dissimulate. I
respect myself. I feel cared for. Before I was afraid
someone always came and hit me. Now the girls take
(34:46):
care of me. Instead of receiving blows, I get hugs.
We laugh together. They don't laugh at me. I'm learning
a lot of things. Higee is no longer on he
her own, and her squad did show up to save her.
(35:07):
Thank you so much for listening. Method and Madness is
a completely independent podcast we'tten, hosted and produced by me.
To find out more about the show, including access to
all episodes. Visit Methoddmadness podcast dot com to support the show,
consider leaving a rating or a review, and to connect.
(35:27):
I'm on Instagram at Method and Madness Pod and you
can find me on TikTok and Facebook as well. To chat,
suggest a case, or to discuss the episode, reach out
to me at Method and Madness Pod at gmail dot com.
That's it for this week. Until next time, take care
of yourself. You matter. For crisis support, text Hello to
(35:50):
seven four one seven for one
This episode contains descriptions of violence that may be disturbing
to some, specifically mentions of sexual assault and animal cruelty.
Please listen with care. Welcome to Method and Madness. This
(00:23):
is the Fight Ava's story. I'm your host, Dawn. It
was the night of October sixteenth, twenty sixteen, in Bella Vista,
Buenos Aires. Mother's Day is recognized on the third Sunday
in October, and it had been a day of celebration.
(00:44):
In Argentina, celebrating the mother's, grandmothers and mother figures means
large family gatherings to honor the women who are considered
the cornerstone of a family. It was a day of music, gifts,
and an abundance of food like casado, alphahor and facturas.
The sun had gone down and families were returning home
(01:07):
to turn in for bed, But in a corner of
Bella Vista, in a neighborhood known as Lomas de Maurillo,
a violent encounter was brewing. At approximately ten thirty pm
local time, police were summoned to an address on Yiatia Street. There,
amongst a group of small houses inhabited by one family,
(01:31):
was an outdoor alleyway leading to the street. Just far
enough away from the light of the street lamps, the
alleys sunk into darkness, where barely a shadow could be
seen there in the black of night. On the ground,
a woman named Ava Andalia de Jesus lay unconscious. The
(01:52):
police were summoned and arrived to find a man lying
just outside the alley, bloody and on the street. A
few witnesses provided details of what had occurred. It had
all started as an argument and quickly turned deadly. Officers
were informed that Christian Esposito, known as Pino to his
family and friends, had been stabbed multiple times by a
(02:15):
woman unrelated to him. The two had been having issues
for years, the witnesses said. While Christian was rushed to
a nearby hospital, Ava found herself in handcuffs, led away
by police and taken to jail. Two days later, an
article on an Argentinian news site said quote a young
(02:35):
man was killed by a woman in a neighborhood dispute.
The victim was identified as Reuben Christian Esposito, twenty eight
years old. The event took place in the so called
Lomas de Morillo neighborhood, when the woman named Ava Analia,
forty two stabbed Esposito twice in the Thoracic region. Esposito
(02:57):
died at the raul Lecarde Municipal Hospital. Members of the
Bella Vista police station, second of San Miguel arrived at
the scene of the incident and arrested the suspect. So
piecing together what had happened that night was looking simple enough.
Multiple witnesses, one man dead, the suspect in custody. Case
(03:19):
solved right, No, not even close. This case unfolds with
a series of assaults, a charge of homicide, and a
community ready to fight. Today's case takes us to Bella
(03:42):
Vista in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It's a residential area with
a suburban feel, a quiet escape from the hustle and
bustle of downtown Buenos Aires. There's a sense of community,
walkable streets, outdoor markets and restaurants. But in the neighborhood
where Christian Reuben N. Esposito took his last breath, the
area is described by law enforcement officials as hostile, with
(04:06):
many people living in poverty and homelessness rising significantly year
after year. In twenty sixteen, forty two year old Ava
Andalia de Jesus knew too well about the hardships of
making ends meet while living in Bella Vista. Now she
was in jail, arrested for homicide and awaiting trial for
(04:27):
the police. It wasn't surprising that someone like Ava would
end up there. Born on June seventh, nineteen seventy four,
in Hyato, Buenos Aires, Ava barely had the opportunity to
spend her days like a typical kid. She lived with
her mother, who was absent from the home a lot working,
which meant Ava was the caretaker for her younger six siblings,
(04:51):
five sisters and one brother. Due to those responsibilities, Ava's
grades suffered and she had no choice but to complete
primary school by attending evening classes. Still in the midst
of her adult like duties, Ava found an escape in
the form of a football field, or soccer as we
call it in the US. It turned out Ava had
(05:13):
prowess as a goalkeeper and earned the nickname of Hige,
after the Colombian goalkeeper Rina Higita. If you're not familiar
with him, I highly recommend looking up his scorpion kick
on YouTube. Even if you're not a sports fan, it's
quite a sight to see. For the purposes of this story,
I'll refer to Ava as Hige from here on out.
(05:36):
The thought of growing up of one day reaching adulthood
seemed an impossible dream for Hige. Adults had betrayed her
in education was never prioritized. At fifteen, she left home,
determined to make it on her own. She lived with
her sister Tati for a few years, and by the
age of eighteen, Hige roomed with some teammates from soccer
(05:59):
to make ends me. She walked dogs in Palermo and
found that she had a knack for fixing things. Hege
slowly acquired various tools to repair things for her community,
and she got various jobs gardening. Her ideal job was
to be a soldier or a police officer, but employment
in those fields never came to fruition. Heige wasn't tall
(06:20):
enough to qualify for those positions, and any traditional employer
passed on hiring her as she was a masculine presenting lesbian.
Due to poverty and her sexuality, Hige faced more than
just ordinary obstacles in life. She faced harassment and assault.
(06:41):
Heige was sexually assaulted for the first time at the
age of ten. The sexual abuse continued until he was
thirteen years old, and each of her attackers were a
romantic partner of her mother's. From a young age, Heige
learned a hard truth. Nobody, not even the adults in
(07:02):
her own family, was going to look out for her.
She had no protection, no defender. Nobody was coming to
save her. As an adult, Hege was viewed as a
target in and around her neighborhood in Bella Vista. She
was a walking symbol of what many people had been
conditioned to detest. An unmarried, childless lesbian from a low
(07:27):
social class. She would endure verbal attacks, sometimes by the
same people in the neighborhood. Over and over again. The
verbal attacks escalated. Her house had once been burned to
the ground, her soccer trophies inside. Her dog was also killed. Still,
Hege kept moving forward. She rebuilt her home a hut
(07:50):
with no plumbing, which flooded and made it inhabitable. Some
of the time, she stayed connected to her sisters and
contributed to her community. She knew nobody else was going
to do it for her. October sixteenth, twenty sixteen, Heige
(08:11):
visited her sister and nephews in the neighborhood of Lamas
de Marillo to celebrate Mother's Day. The adults engaged in
an afternoon of conversation, eating and drinking beer while the
kids ran around and played. After ten pm, Hige sent
her goodbyes and headed to a nearby residence at a
housing complex where some of her friends were gathering. Upon
(08:34):
her arrival, Heige was warned by another friend that one
of the men in attendance was Christian Esposito. He and
his friends had been harassing Heve for years, verbally accosting
her in and around the neighborhood because of her sexuality,
calling her homophobic slurs, and threatening her with violence. Heige
(08:56):
was under the impression that Christian had been kicked out
out of the neighborhood, that their mutual friends didn't even
want him around anymore because of his history of violence.
He was known to abuse pills, hit women and children,
and kick animals. Now discovering that this man was there
in her presence, Higee thought it best to leave. Around
(09:21):
ten thirty p m. Local time, Hige was leaving the
housing complex, walking through the dark alleyway toward the street.
Minutes later, Christian Esposito was dead and Heige was in jail.
As the cold steel bars closed. Heige sat in jail
in what seemed like a fog as she tried to
recall what had happened before she lost consciousness in the alleyway.
(09:46):
She struggled to even open her eyes. They were swollen shut,
her body was sore all over, and she hadn't yet
been informed of why she was being detained. She didn't
know yet that Christian Esposito was dead. As her memories
began to creep back in, Hige tried to explain to
the police what had happened. That she'd been beaten and
(10:07):
almost raped. Showing the officers some of the bruises she'd received.
Hegee explained that a group of men had ambushed her
on her way home, attacked her from behind. They'd shouted
at her that she was a filthy lesbian and they
were going to make a woman out of her. According
to Jigy, one of the officers responded, who would want
(10:28):
to rape you an ugly lesbian? Buenos Aires is often
referred to as one of the most liberal and gay
friendly cities in Latin America. There's been progressive legislation throughout Argentina,
granting the LGBTQIA more rights still that dozen protect against
the discrimination that has faced the community, worldwide discrimination that
(10:52):
often comes from law enforcement themselves. Hige gestured toward her
disheveled and dirty clothes, the area of her pants that
were torn near her genitals, but neither her clothing nor
her visual injuries prompted the officers to display any empathy
or curiosity to find out more. It didn't exactly come
(11:13):
as a shock to her. Higee had become accustomed to
this life, used to being treated a certain way by
all of society, from law enforcement to civilians. Raped as
a child over and over again by adults who should
have been her caretakers, harassed in adulthood for simply existing.
Hige was informed that she was being charged with simple homicide.
(11:43):
While out buying a beer in nineteen ninety four, she'd
been surrounded by a group of men who yelled homophobic
slurs at her. This treatment became Hige's norm over the years.
She was continuously targeted, her bicycle, stolen, stones thrown at
her while waiting for a bus with her girlfriend, and
in two thousand and two, she was once again surrounded
(12:06):
by a group of men shouting slurs at her. This time,
she was beaten, stabbed in the back, and hospitalized. When
she was released from the hospital, she returned home to
find her hut was just a pile of ashes and
her dog had been killed. The men who'd put her
in the hospital had made sure she didn't have anything
to come home to. Now charged with homicide, just as
(12:30):
she was used to, Hege was on her own. Nobody
was coming to save her. Prosecutor Munos was already building
a case against Heige based on the statements given by
the inhabitants at the housing complex where Christian was killed.
There was a certain narrative taking shape. Highee had come
(12:50):
from out of nowhere and stabbed Christian in the heart twice.
For the police, no amount of evidence could convince them otherwise.
It was an open and shutcase. A masculine looking woman
with a grudge had attacked a man. It was simply
unbelievable that Hege was beaten and almost raped, or maybe
(13:11):
even worse than unbelievable, not even an idea worth considering.
But Heige was desperately pleading to be heard. As she
sat behind bars, feeling hopeless, she told her story to
her sister and to her lawyers. Dressed in a jogging seat.
That evening, Hige had said her helloes and her goodbyes
(13:33):
to her friends and was walking through the dark to
the street. She knew to be vigilant at all times,
and after just a few moments she was reminded of why.
From behind her as Heige walked, she heard the voices
of at least three men. One of those voices she
(13:53):
recognized as Pino aka Christian Esposito. It happened fast. She
felt blows to the back of her body as she
was thrown to the ground and threatened with the words
We're going to make you a woman, effing lesbian. On
the ground, she felt more blows to her body, kick
(14:13):
after kick, as at least two others joined in on
the beating. Hige managed to get into a fetal position
to protect herself as her attackers pulled her by her legs,
kicking her in the hips and the genitals. The horror
intensified there in the dark when Hige heard one of
the attackers saying something about a stick. As her pants
(14:35):
were tugged at and her underwear ripped. Fearing she was
about to be raped and then killed, Heige held onto
the fence with her right hand her dominant hand, and
with her left hand reached inside her shirt, gripping the
handle of the gardening knife she carried at night, the
one she always had on her While walking through this
(14:55):
particular neighborhood, she extended her arm knife in hand to
attempt to thwart off her attackers. At some point, she
passed out. The next thing Hege remembered was the blue
lights of a patrol car. The following morning, she was
taken to Belgrano Hospital, where she was examined by doctor
Laura Isabel Salvatorio. Her injuries indicated she'd been beaten and
(15:19):
had possibly suffered a concussion. Her injuries were visible. She
had a scrape on her left cheekbone, bruising and swelling
around her left eye, a bruise on her right shoulder,
and another bruise on her right hip. There was also
a scrape on the back of her right forearm, a
bruise on her right knee, and a scrape on the
knuckle of her right hand back. At the detainment center,
(15:42):
three days passed before Heige was allowed visitors. Her sister
came and took photos of the injuries, including her black
eyes and bruises to her lower back and shoulder. The
Saint Martin public prosecutor Ignacio Korea told the press that
there was no evidence that Heige was attacked. Correote referred
(16:03):
to the statements he received from two witnesses that said
completely unprovoked, Hige had stabbed Esposito during an argument. What
the prosecutor failed to mention was that the two witnesses
that gave the only official documented version of the Knight's
events were the friends of Christian Esposito and were with
(16:23):
him when Hige was attacked. One could ascertain that they
had been involved with the assault on Hige. Other witnesses
also came forward to corroborate more men from the same
family associated with Christian Esposito, and the few witnesses that
weren't men were women, women that knew not to go
(16:44):
against what the men had said. This, according to activists
in Buenos Aires, was common in their society. A woman's
value was defined by her ability to bear children. The
irony lies in the fact that a day meant to
honor and celebrate mothers became a moment of cruelty for
a woman who is childless. Eight months later, in June
(17:13):
twenty seventeen, Hege was released from jail after her lawyers
fought relentlessly on her behalf. Her freedom was only temporary.
She still faced the charge of simple homicide and was
awaiting trial. It was her against her attackers, against the
police and the prosecution. Her side of the story was
(17:34):
never investigated. It did not exist in the eyes of
the law. Her clothing had not been taken into evidence.
For all those reasons and more, her story had gained
widespread attention, with activists raising their voices in protest, highlighting
that she'd only defended herself from a violent assault. Supporters
(17:56):
who believed she acted appropriately and in self defense took
to social media, calling for justice and using hashtag Hige
to spread the word. Even Colombian goalkeeper Rina Hagita, whom
Higee owes her nickname, took to social media to call
for justice. Her story was being heard throughout Argentina and beyond.
(18:19):
Headlines tagged as gender violence said calls in Argentina for
release of Hige, a lesbian who killed would be rapist.
Human rights lawyer and activist Gabriella Conder said quote, it's
something that happens to a lot of lesbians because it
has to do with the embedded hate that the society
(18:39):
has for anyone that's different. Hege acted in self defense.
If she weren't carrying a knife today, she'd be another victim.
The family of Christian Esposito also took to social media,
using their own voices to express anger and outrage. One
family member posted on Facebook quote supposedly they released the
(19:02):
son of a bitch who killed my cousin. What a
shitty justice this Argentinian crazy slut. All because she is
a lesbian woman, she has the right to kill and
walk in the street. We ourselves are going to be
the justice this time. Defense lawyer Raquel Hermida told the
press that Christian Esposito's family began sending intimidating messages to
(19:26):
Hige's sister. Prosecutor Liliana Trikariko, asked for ten years in
prison for homicide and ruled out self defense. Among the
reasons for seeking a guilty verdict, The prosecution said was
that Hige was dirty, disheveled and defended herself like a man.
(19:48):
Let's take a break. The murder trial well for Hige
started in March of twenty twenty two, it had been
four and a half years. Her supporters showed up in droves,
marching outside of the courthouse, holding up signs that read
(20:11):
I would defend myself like Hige. People who had never
met Hige, now forty seven, felt drawn to her story.
Feminists and members of the LGBTQIA demanded her acquittal. There
were about thirty people's scheduled to testify for the prosecution.
Many of them were members of the Ricaldi family, the
(20:32):
ones who lived in the housing complex where the attack
had taken place. Some of those who were testifying Hige
had once considered friends. Nobody testified on Hige's behalf. Police
officer Barrios vividly recalled the moment he assisted Hige after
her arrest. On the stand, he described how, despite her
(20:54):
painful injuries, he'd helped her slowly get changed, trying not
to cause her further distress. He remembered how he couldn't
lift her arms because of the bruises and injuries, and
her clothes were torn and soiled. Sandro Ramirez, who'd been
in attendance at the Ricaldi home that night, provided crucial
(21:15):
testimony during the trial. Ramirez recalled that he'd been with
Christian Esposito earlier that day, as the two joined family
and friends to celebrate Mother's Day. Among those at the
gathering was Hige Ava DeJesus Soandra Ramirez testified that there'd
been an incident that day in which a boy had
(21:35):
dropped a bottle of wine, which had set off Christian Esposito,
who kicked the child. Ramirez went on to say that
tempers had been high, and once things had calmed down
a bit, he saw the arm of a person pass
over Christian's right shoulder from behind and stab him a
couple of times. When Ramirez turned to see who the
(21:56):
aggressor was, it was Ava Dejsous. At that moment, Christian
managed to punch Ava in the face, causing her to
fall to the ground and faint. That was they said,
how she'd gotten her injuries. Two women from the family
testified that they saw Heigee after Christian was stabbed, and
that she was acting normal and laughed as she got
(22:18):
into the patrol car. But the severity of Hige's injuries
we were all recorded at Bolgrano hospital, where she'd been
taken for medical attention. The photos showed how she was disfigured,
her eyes closed and swollen from the blows, in a
state of shock, probably with a concussion, and at risk
(22:38):
of convulsion from the kicks to the head. And that's
not to mention the damage to her kidneys and genital area,
the dirt on her clothes, the torn underwear. The testimony
provided by the witnesses for the prosecution, the court found
was all inconsistent with other evidence, namely the mechanics of
(22:59):
the situation in which hege allegedly came from behind to
stab Christian twice in the chest. Let's get into that
Christian Esposito was five foot eight, heighe was under five
foot and it's improbable that she could have reached her
hand over Christian's shoulder and stabbed him in the chest.
(23:20):
It also didn't add up with the type of injuries
that Christian had and the angle at which the knife
entered a sternum. In short, the autopsy report was consistent
with what hehe had said happened, and there was no
accounting for why she had the extent of her injuries.
Christian Esposito's autopsy was conclusive in indicating that the penetrating
(23:44):
puncture wound entered the left sternal region parallel to the sternum,
causing a blunt injury to the left rib cage with
rib fractures, leading to massive bleeding and traumatic cardio respiratory arrest.
Now this is significant because it was a perfect wound
to an important muscle. When asked if the deceased could
(24:04):
have thrown a punch at Higy after being stabbed, the
doctor stated emphatically no, not from any view. Hige testified
in her own defense and said that day she'd had
a great time with her sister and nephews. She had
actually stopped going to the neighborhood because Pino hated her,
but that day she went because she missed her sister,
(24:27):
Marianna and her nephews. As night fell, she said her
goodbyes and told the court that she went over to
greet some friends from the other family. One of them,
her friend, Katie, warned her be careful because Pino is here,
but hang out for a little while. Hige testified that
she saw a group of people hanging around outside, the
(24:49):
men who would later be her attackers. Despite Katie's insistence
that she stay, Hige felt uneasy. She said she'd have
one more beer before lee. It wasn't long before things
started to escalate. From across the courtyard, she saw a
teenager that she had helped raise like a child of
her own, and he was crying. She said. She immediately
(25:13):
sensed trouble. Her legs were shaking, a nervous energy filling
her as she realized the situation was rapidly spiraling out
of control. She had an instinct that Christian Esposito, who'd
gone out earlier with others to buy more wine, might
be behind why the child was crying, and her instinct
was correct, as that teen had accidentally dropped the bottle
(25:35):
of wine on the floor, breaking it, causing Christian to
kick him. So Higey, feeling like things were not safe,
said she started to leave, and as she walked through
the alleyway and was near the street, she heard, you
fucking lesbian. We are going to make you a woman.
She described the attack on how she got herself into
(25:55):
a ball on the ground to protect herself. She remembered
being put in the patrol car, that her head hurt
and she couldn't speak. She didn't remember being taken to
the infirmary, but days later, when she took a shower
at the detainment center. The water hurt and one of
her teeth fell out. Prosecutor Trikariko was eager to get
(26:16):
to the moment when Hege stabbed Christian Esposito. He asked
her to get to the point. I think I reacted
when they hit me hard. She then gestured to the
area of her genitals and pulled down my pants. I
thought they were going to kill me. I defended myself
as best I could. It was like that, a flash
(26:38):
at the end. I don't remember. Imagine if it happens
to you. When asked about carrying a knife, Hige responded
that the group of men had already set fire to
her house and hit her on multiple occasions, threatened her
with violence, and she started carrying the knife for her
own safety. So you took out the knife, the prosecutor asked, yes,
(27:02):
Hege responded, but I can't say because it was a
flash then. I don't remember. I saw everything black shadows.
As for the number of attackers, Hige said she thought
there were at least four, two of them she did
not know by name. When asked if Christian Esposito had
attacked her, Hige testified quote. Yes, he was the first one.
(27:28):
I dream about what they did to me. They kicked
my whole head. I heard four kids, and beyond that
more kids came shouting. I fainted, maybe because I was
drinking beer all day. I don't take drugs or even
take an aspirin. I drank eight beers that day from
eleven in the morning, and I drink a lot because
(27:48):
I was very violated. And now I am better, thanks
to the people who support me. One detail that hadn't
lined up with Hegee's account was brought up. The judges
asked he what she had to say about the location
of Christian's body. It had been out in the street
when police arrived, not in the dark alley. She thought
(28:09):
Christian had been taken out into the street by his
friends while she lay unconscious. Hige insisted that the attack
had happened as she originally detailed it inside the alleyway.
She never wavered from her story, and the narrative that
she had just been walking down the street and came
across Christian and decided to stab him was false. The
(28:32):
judges also asked if Heigey had any problems with Sandra Ramirez,
a friend of Christian's and the witness for the prosecution.
Heige explained she had once been kissed by a woman
who later became engaged to Sandro. She thought that added
to the hatred the men had for her. Hige's statement
ended at two forty pm. For the first time since
(28:55):
October sixteenth, twenty sixteen. The Argentine justice system had asked
Gigy what happened to her, why she'd been beaten that day,
and she responded simply that they wanted to rape and
kill her with a stick. The president of the Oral
Criminal Court number seven of San Martin asked Hige if
she wanted to speak one last time before deliberation. She responded, quote,
(29:19):
I didn't want it to end like this. I didn't
want more violence than what I have on top of me.
I'm going to carry this until the end of my days.
Court was then dismissed and deliberations were underway. It was
only a few hours later when the verdict was in
Eva and Nalia de Jesus. Hige had defended herself on
(29:43):
the stand. Her story had never changed, and she even
apologized to the court for never having had children. Now
it was time for the verdict to be read quote,
all the members of the court have gathered and the
Court or unanimously resolves to issue an acquittal verdict for
(30:03):
ava Analia de Jesus. Cheers broke out in the courtroom
from supporters and activists as Highy smiled and thanked them.
She could hear the excitement from outside the courtroom, too,
where more of her advocates had been waiting for the verdict.
Gripping a soccer ball, a gift from the local girls team,
(30:24):
Hege walked out of the court and was embraced by
her community, a community that had stood up for her
and stood behind her when she needed it the most,
at a time when true justice needed to be fought for.
During a celebration afterward, she addressed her supporters and said, quote,
(30:45):
I appreciate the strength, the affection, the wisdom, the protection,
the respect that only you gave me. Thanks for the defense,
Thanks for not lowering your arms. She went on to
remind the crowd of Tewell de Latore, a young transman
who'd gone missing a year earlier. He'd gone out on
a work appointment and never came back. His destroyed phone
(31:09):
and jacket were later found at the home of his
potential new employer, a man named Luis Alberto Ramos. Teywell's
whereabouts are still unknown. Highe was now an activist herself
and pledged to continue fighting to march for feminist causes,
and she was awarded recognition from the National Ministry of Women,
(31:31):
Gender and Diversity. Supporters on Twitter announced the news with excitement.
Heighe acquitted self. Defense is Pride user lemon Lena wrote, quote,
my mom, the same one who got me out of
the car screaming and slapped me when she found out
that I was bisexual, just sent me a message excited
(31:51):
about the acquittal of Hige, and she wrote publicly I
would defend myself like her. We are doing something right. Still,
the victory was yet to be confirmed. The prosecution appealed,
and it took another nine months before Hige learned of
her fate. In December of twenty twenty two, she got
(32:12):
that confirmation. Hige was free. One of her lawyers, Shiki Condor,
was relieved for the victory, but criticized the patriarchal justice system,
saying quote, they have to believe us when we report abuse.
Nothing was investigated here about what they did to Hige.
The only thing that the prosecutor saw is how to
(32:35):
criminalize Hige for being a woman, dark skinned, poor and
a lesbian. The first thing the state does with Hige,
who has suffered multiple forms of violence is to lock
her up and imprison her. That speaks of an absent state.
It's interesting that prosecutor Liliana Trikariko stated one of the
(32:57):
reasons for charging Hige was that she defended herself quote
like a man. But the men in the story had
come in numbers in the dark from behind and attacked
a woman who was smaller than them who was minding
her business. I'd say she defended herself like a badass,
like someone who found a talent at a young age
(33:19):
in defending a goal. In the early two thousands, authorities
in South Africa noticed a rise in sexual assault. There's
a horrible term for a horrible act and its global.
It's called corrective rape. It's a hate crime where a
sexual assault is committed with the purpose of correcting or
(33:39):
curing someone of their identity, whether it be homosexuality or
gender nonconformity. Let me ask this, how many times do
you think corrective rape has resulted in someone becoming straight?
Justice Forrahige came the form of her acquittal, but her
mistreatment by the police and the prosecution, as well as
(34:01):
the attack on her that night in October twenty sixteen,
well that justice is yet to be seen. After her acquittal,
Higee told the press quote, I used to be in
the same circle in the neighborhood. I didn't know all
the women's groups. I didn't go on Facebook. Now I
know all. This is really good because sometimes you think
(34:23):
you're alone. It's thanks to all the girls who supported me,
the noise they made. Now I go out with my
head held high. I'm not ashamed of anything. I walk
as I please. I do not have to dissimulate. I
respect myself. I feel cared for. Before I was afraid
someone always came and hit me. Now the girls take
(34:46):
care of me. Instead of receiving blows, I get hugs.
We laugh together. They don't laugh at me. I'm learning
a lot of things. Higee is no longer on he
her own, and her squad did show up to save her.
(35:07):
Thank you so much for listening. Method and Madness is
a completely independent podcast we'tten, hosted and produced by me.
To find out more about the show, including access to
all episodes. Visit Methoddmadness podcast dot com to support the show,
consider leaving a rating or a review, and to connect.
(35:27):
I'm on Instagram at Method and Madness Pod and you
can find me on TikTok and Facebook as well. To chat,
suggest a case, or to discuss the episode, reach out
to me at Method and Madness Pod at gmail dot com.
That's it for this week. Until next time, take care
of yourself. You matter. For crisis support, text Hello to
(35:50):
seven four one seven for one
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