Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo — A Chilean man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for the 2021 murder of his German partner, a case that drew attention to domestic violence in the Caribbean coastal state.
The Quintana Roo State Prosecutor’s Office announced that Eduardo Enrique Pérez Barros was found guilty of femicide in a trial that concluded with the maximum penalty allowed under state law. In addition to the prison term, the court ordered him to pay a fine of 288,860 pesos (approximately $14,000) and 717,000 pesos (about $35,000) in restitution to the victim’s family.
The victim, identified as Regine Beatrix Roessler, 62, was killed on June 12, 2021, inside the home she shared with Pérez Barros in the La Gloria neighborhood of Isla Mujeres. According to prosecutors, Pérez Barros struck Roessler in the abdomen, neck, and other parts of her body before strangling her. He then placed her body on a boat and dumped it at sea, where it was discovered weeks later.
Investigators said the murder stemmed from a deteriorating relationship marked by conflict, financial dependence, and control. Roessler had reportedly told Pérez Barros she wanted to separate and regain her independence, which prosecutors said triggered the fatal attack.
Roessler’s body was found in late July 2021, nearly six weeks after her disappearance. Initially, the cause of death was unclear, but an autopsy revealed she had been killed by asphyxiation due to severe laryngeal trauma.
Pérez Barros was arrested and charged after a months-long investigation. The sentence was handed down by a court in Isla Mujeres.
