Tony Janzen Valverde Victoriano, known as ‘Little J,’ was on an international most wanted list after he allegedly raped and murdered three young women in Buenos Aires – and streamed it online
This is the dramatic moment a 20-year-old man on Argentina[1]‘s most wanted list was finally captured after he allegedly tortured, raped and executed three women on an Instagram live stream.
Tony Janzen Valverde Victoriano, known as ‘Little J,’ subjected his victims to what police described as “sadistic torture” after they mistakenly got into a car belonging to a violent drug cartel[2]. Lara Gutierrez, 15, Brenda Del Castillo, 20, and Morena Verdi, 21, all died after they were allegedly raped and tortured by the Peruvian drug trafficker, with the attack streamed online. Victoriano fled Argentina[3] and crossed into the Peru border before police managed to track him down.
He was caught in a joint operation between the Provincial Police and the Peru National Police as he tried to go unnoticed inside a truck on the Panamericana Sur highway. Footage of his arrest shows him being led out of the back of a lorry he had been hiding inside.
Responding to the news on social media, Patricia Bullrich, Argentina’s Minister of National Security, said: “I want to congratulate Peru’s National Police for the great work they’ve done and their cooperation in the capture of the two fugitives for the triple murders.”
She added: “Anti-drugs officers held ‘Little J’ in Pucusana, showing that when working decisively and in coordination, criminals have nowhere to hide.”
The name ‘Little J’ appeared in the case files following the murder of the three women in Buenos Aires. Victoriano, who was on the international most wanted list, was considered the alleged mastermind of the crime, which was linked to drug trafficking.
Officers believe his victims were lured into a Buenos Aires home after being told they would be paid around $300 to attend a party. Buenos Aires security minister Javier Alonso said the trio were “last seen getting into a vehicle voluntarily because they had been invited to an event, not knowing they were falling into a trap set for them by an international drug trafficking gang”.
The victims are believed to have been taken to a property in Florencio Varela dubbed the “House of Horrors”, where the alleged rape, torture and murders took place on September 19. The brutal killings werea lso live-streamed onto a private Instagram[4] group, which cops believe was viewed by 45 people.
The three women’s bodies were found on September 24, buried in the property’s back garden. Lara is said to have been found with all of the fingers on her left hand amputated. Brenda suffered a skull fracture and was discovered with a cut open stomach. and Morena is believed to have asphyxiated with a plastic bag over her head.
When police arrived to raid the house, they found two women cleaning the scene with bleach.
A spokesperson for Peru’s National Police said: “In a swift and simultaneous operation, agents from the Anti-Drug Directorate, in coordination with Interpol Argentina, arrested alias ‘Little J’ and Matias Agustin Ozorio, both fugitives from Argentina. Red notices [were] issued [for both fugitives] by Interpol … implicated in a triple murder in Buenos Aires,” they said.
“The case involves three young women murdered in violent circumstances. Tony Valverde, a Peruvian citizen, is believed to be linked to international drug trafficking networks and is identified as the alleged mastermind behind the crime,” they added. “More than half a dozen other suspects have already been held over the triple murders in Argentina.”