Buenos Aires -
An Argentine judge has blocked planned nuptials between a 22-year-old woman and her twin sister's convicted killer on Friday after a formal complaint by her mother.
Edith Casas insists that Victor Cingolani did not murder her sister Johana Casas, a fashion model. He is serving a 13-year prison sentence in southern Santa Cruz province for her murder in 2010.
The twins' mother Marcelina Orellana says Edith is mentally ill and “does not know what she is doing.” She filed a request in court to suspend the marriage.
Casas “does not have full use of her faculties, is deprived of reason, and her physical and mental well-being are at risk,” said the mother's lawyer Fabian Farias.
The Argentine Civil Code says that any permanent or temporary loss of mental capacities is reason enough to prevent a marriage.
Farias said Casas made the surprise decision to marry the convicted killer just 10 days ago. The couple had planned to marry in jail to avoid a media circus over the highly publicised wedding.
“She used to live with her parents and nobody expected such a sudden change in behaviour,” he said.
But Casas has insisted that Cingolani was unjustly convicted, saying he “is a guy who would not hurt a fly. He did not kill her.”
She also accused her mother of abandoning her and her sister, adding: “she cannot say I need a psychiatrist because I am fully aware of what I am doing.”
Another man, Marcos Diaz, who had also gone out with Johana, is also doing time for the killing.
Cingolani's lawyer has filed a brief appealing the judge's decision. - Sapa-AFP