Holy Sunday.- Judge Milagros Ramírez, of the Ninth Criminal Court of the National District, sentenced this Wednesday one year in prison to the French citizen Georges Antoine Thevenet, accused of causing the death of Adelle Marie Ruiz León and her two-month-old daughter, after performing a Lethal fumigation in an apartment in Torre Da Silva III, located in the exclusive sector Seedlings.
Thevenet was found guilty of manslaughter and violating several articles of the Dominican Penal Code, as well as laws related to the environment and the use of pesticides: articles 319 of the Penal Code, 97, 175 numeral 6, 176, 183-1-2 of Law 64-00 on Environment and Natural Resources, and article 25 of lLaw 311 which regulates insecticides and other chemicals.
Negligence mortal
According to the file, on January 19, 2024, Thevenet, without being a certified professional fumigator, recklessly and negligently applied 480 capsules of aluminum phosphide in apartment 901, owned by Karina Baussan, who had requested fumigation for woodworm infestation in a closet.
The product used, trade name Quickphos 56 FT 480 Tablets, contains aluminum phosphide, an extremely toxic pesticide that, upon contact with moisture, releases highly lethal phosphine gas.
To put the severity into perspective, a single capsule is enough to treat more than 2,200 pounds of grain, and Thevenet used 480 capsules inside an enclosed space, without informing the building's residents or taking the safety measures established by the Environmental Technical Regulations for pesticide management.
Lack of caution and excessive use of pesticides caused the gas to leak into apartment 801, where they lived Adelle Ruiz, her husband Luis José Acra González, and her two young children. Exposure to the toxic gas caused the death due to respiratory failure of Adelle and her baby the next day, January 20, 2024. Both her husband and eldest son were severely poisoned.
Research and testimonies
During the judicial process, at least 12 witnesses were heard, including Andrea Sofía Pimentel, who rented the apartment where the fumigation was carried out and originally reported the presence of woodworms.
Forensic doctors Odeimy Mercano and Domingo Antonio Encarnación confirmed in their statements that the victims died from acute phosphine inhalation poisoning, which caused pulmonary edema and severe respiratory failure.
Request and reaction of the Public Prosecutor's Office
He Public Ministry, represented by the prosecutor Yuderky Utate, had requested a sentence of three years in prison, the maximum penalty contemplated by the Environmental Law for this type of crimes.
Although respectful of the court ruling, prosecutors announced that They will evaluate the full sentence, the full reading of which is scheduled for April 2 at 11:00 a.m., to decide whether to proceed with an appeal appeal.
The victims' families will appeal the sentence.
For their part, Adelle Ruiz's family expressed their disagreement with the sentence imposed, considering it insufficient given the seriousness of the events and the irreparable loss suffered. They indicated that they will also appeal once the written sentence is known in detail, seeking an increase in the sentence.
So far, it has not been specified in which prison the French citizen will serve his sentence.
Autopsies and dangers of the chemical used
Forensic reports revealed that both Adelle and her baby died from acute phosphine poisoning, a product of the aluminium phosphide used irresponsibly by Thevenet.
