This horrific crime has rocked the country of Uruguay, and there truly are no words. Felipe Romero, 10, was murdered at the hands of his beloved soccer coach, Fernando Sierra, in Uruguay, and the tragedy is extremely disturbing. Not only did Fernando shoot Felipe in the head, but he also killed himself. Authorities are reportedly still investigating the coach’s motive for murder, according to People magazine.
The bodies were found in a town near Montevideo. “The adult had his back to the ground and the boy, face down, was partially holding the man with his head near his chest,” Sergio Mozzo, who was in charge of the autopsy, reportedly told BBC World. Sergio also revealed that the boy had been sexually assaulted on different occasions. “There was a violation,” the medical examiner explained. “The marks that were found in the child showed erosion that possibly were from the same day or the previous day. He had signs of previously being abused repeatedly around the dimensions of the genital area. ”
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But if that’s not bad enough, tranquilizers were also found in Felipe’s system. We can’t even imagine what the child’s family must be going through right now. After all, Felipe and Fernando’s friendship was, at first, encouraged by the boy’s parents. They began hanging out in 2015 when Fernando started training at the soccer club, “Club Defensor Maldonado.” He struck up a friendship with Felipe’s family and he and the boy soon developed a bond, according to reports.
The two were so close in fact that Felipe even started calling him “Dad.” Felipe’s parents, Alexandra Perez and Luis Romero — a former famous soccer player — did notice something was off though after their son returned from a Brazilian vacation with Fernando. While details have not been released, Alexandra consulted a psychologist at that point, who advised her not to let her son interact with his coach anymore. Right before the murder, she spoke with Fernando, forbidding him from seeing her son.
The soccer coach did not take the news well. “If I cannot see Felipe, I’ll kill myself,” he told Alexandra. After the altercation, the coach rented a car, picked up the child at school, and they were never seen alive again.
Our thoughts are with Felipe and his loved ones during this extremely difficult time. HollywoodLifers, please leave your condolences for the Romero family below.