What happened to Argentinian photojournalist José Luis Cabezas?

A feature-length true crime special from Netflix focuses on the 1997 murder of a photojournalist in Argentina.

The crime made headlines across the country, shocking Argentine society and the country’s political elite.

The Spanish-language documentary examines why Cazebas was killed, the botched investigation into his death and the endemic corruption in Argentine politics at the time.

Cabezas was a photojournalist working for Noticias, a Spanish-language weekly news magazine widely read in Argentina.

In 1996, Cabezas snapped a photo of Alfredo Yabrán, an Argentine businessman with good connections to the government, while he was in Pinamar, an exclusive Argentine seaside resort.

Yabrán was one of Argentina’s most outstanding businessmen, but would not allow anyone to take his picture – journalists who had previously investigated his affairs had been threatened.

After the photo was published, Yabrán is said to have ordered the killing of Cabezas – Cabezas was kidnapped first, handcuffed and tortured.

He was then taken to the countryside and shot twice in the head, his body taken to a vehicle rented by Noticias and burned.

The murder of Cabezas was seen as an attack on the free press and resonated strongly in Argentine society.

Human rights groups, media associations and members of the public took to the streets to protest for justice for Cazebas.

Yabrán was a well-connected but secretive businessman who was accused of using his companies as a front for money laundering, drug trafficking and arms trafficking.

In 1998, just over a year after Cabezas’ death, Yabrán was found dead in an apparent suicide – he had been shot to the face.

Yabrán was accused during his lifetime of acting like a mafia boss and having cabinet ministers and judges in his pocket.

His alleged involvement in Cazebas’ death embarrassed many senior politicians linked to Yabrán, including Argentine President Carlos Menem and Justice Minister Elias Jassan, who resigned over phone calls with Yabrán’s bodyguards the day after Cazeba’s death.

Several people were arrested in connection with the murder, although it was widely believed that those arrested were scapegoats – Yabrán was not charged with the murder and died before a trial was held.

Several people from the Los Horneros area of ​​Buenos Aires were charged with murder and sentenced to life imprisonment at a 2000 trial — but by 2017 they had all been released.

Two police officers were also convicted of the crime – Sergio Camaratta and Anibal Luna – Camratta died in prison in 2015 and Luna was eventually released.

Noticias published an article about the Buenos Aires police force, accusing them of rampant corruption and alleging links to prostitution, drug trafficking and illegal gambling.

The Photographer: Murder in Pinamar will be available on Netflix on May 19th.