Kriti Mehrotra
It was nearly 2 decades ago when Nora Raquel Dalmasso Macarrón, better known as simply Nora Dalmasso, was found horrifically murdered on a single bed inside her own lavish home. Unfortunately, though, what ensued was not only an extensive investigation but also pure chaos owing to intense media involvement and mismanagement of the scene as well as the evidence. It thus comes as no surprise that this entire ordeal has since been deemed one of Argentina’s most infamous cases and even been explored in Netflix’s ‘The Many Deaths of Nora Dalmasso.’
Nora Dalmasso Was Supposed to be Home Alone When She Was Strangled to Death
Born on January 17, 1955, to Murió María “Nené” Delia Grassi and her husband, the Dalmasso head, Nora Dalmasso grew up in the affluent, high society of Río Cuarto without issues. The truth is the family was prominent in town owing to a blend of their socio-economic status through their many businesses, shopping malls, local services, etc., and their sheer generosity. She was arguably one of the most beautiful women in the area, too, resulting in her often inadvertently being the center of attention, especially as she later tied the knot with Marcelo Macarrón.
It was around the 1970s when Nora and Marcelo first came across one another by pure chance, considering the latter was studying medicine in Córdoba City, just for them to fall head over heels. They eventually married and chose to settle down in her hometown of Río Cuarto, where they first built a home in a small apartment while working hard to make a name for themselves. Little did anyone know that his career as a trauma doctor, as well as her philanthropy, would soon propel them into wealth, resulting in them ultimately moving to the Villa Golf gated community.
According to records, this exclusive neighborhood is where Nora and Maecelo primarily raised their children: a son they’d named Facundo Macarrón and their daughter Valentina Macarrón. However, except for 51-year-old Nora, nobody was at home on the last weekend of November 2006, so she decided to enjoy this personal time, starting with a dinner alongside close friends. Less than 2 days later, in the early hours of Sunday, November 26, she was found dead on Valentina’s single bed – she was naked, face-up, and the belt of her robe was double-knotted around her neck. It was clear she had been killed when she was supposed to be home alone, so the question of who was responsible arose.
Nora Dalmasso’s Case Was Marred by Rumors and Mismanagement
When officials first arrived at the scene following a call from the neighbor who had found Nora’s body, they were quick to positively ascertain that her murder was not a burglary gone wrong. Not only were there no signs of a forced entry, but everything in the home was also in order, along with the fact that she was still wearing her Rolex and no valuables like cash or jewelry were missing. Therefore, considering how she’d been strangled, they noted this was likely a crime of passion, which was backed by the coroner as their report revealed she’d had intercourse just prior to her death.
However, as per reports, the police failed to secure the scene when it was most crucial, resulting in nearly 30 people having access to it, including investigators, Nora’s mother, as well as a priest. The fact that journalists had started crowding the gates of the home didn’t help either, and the ensuing silence from detectives, prosecutors, friends, and family regarding what had transpired led to the beginning of rumors. According to reports, since the basic details had been revealed and officials had gathered that Nora most probably knew her killer, owing to a lack of defensive wounds or struggle, the media ran with some guesses.
It was reported that Nora had been having affairs, alluding to her killer possibly being one of her many alleged lovers and her death being the result of a “sex game” gone wrong. This was to such an extent that rumors about all males in the town being over the age of 17 being investigated also arose, with some males even going as far as to make t-shirts reading “I did not sleep with Norita.” Only then did more factual details start coming to light, including the fact that she was indeed having an affair with one of her husband’s close friends, Guillermo Albarracin, and the presence of DNA evidence at the scene, but to no avail.
Despite Several Suspects Having Been Accused, Nora Dalmasso’s Case Remains Unsolved
Although investigators were able to identify Nora’s lover not long after her killing, nothing ever became of it since it turned out that Guillermo was actually out of town, with Marcelo. Both of them were in Punta del Este, Uruguay, partaking in a golf tournament, whereas Facundo was in Córdoba City attending college, and Valentina was all the way in the US as a high school exchange student. As a result, none of them were initially looked at as suspects, meaning the investigations were leading to different avenues, and in February 2007, officials arrested Gaston Zarate, the painter who had worked on the family’s home in the weeks before the murder.
According to reports, Gaston’s friend had given officials his name, and since he already had a criminal record for domestic violence and an alleged history of psychological problems, he was quickly charged with murder. What no one expected was that there would be a protest against his arrest, with 2,000 residents marching to the courthouse the next morning because they believed in his innocence. Locals reportedly believed that detectives were deliberately focused on the poor and had arrested Gaston as a fall guy, especially considering the nation’s legacy of police corruption and incompetence.
Gaston was released less than 24 hours later, with it coming to light that even his friend’s confession was forced. Then, the focus shifted to the evidence present at the scene, which suggested that there was Macarrón DNA there, and one of them had to be the killer. This led to the arrest of Facundo on the charges of murder and sexual abuse in late 2007, with prosecutors claiming he killed his mother because she couldn’t accept his sexuality – it was this investigation that outed him as a gay man. Not long after, though, the FBI was consulted, and they confirmed that the DNA was not related to the crime – the man primarily lived there, so of course, his DNA was at home.
Similarly, years later, Nora’s husband was also charged with her murder, with the prosecution initially claiming he used a private jet to fly to and fro from Uruguay to kill his wife and also be on time for the golf tournament. Then, they shifted their accusation to him hiring hitmen to kill her, enraged over her affair, only to be officially acquitted following a trial in 2022. Yet, in December 2024, another name came to light, with additional trace DNA allegedly serving as evidence and a strand of his hair having been recovered from Nora’s groin area. This new suspect has been identified as Río Cuarto resident Roberto Barzola – he has since been charged with murder and sexual crimes, but he remains innocent until proven guilty. We should also mention that the statute of limitations on Nora’s killing has actually run out, so it’s unclear how things will proceed. But until then, Nora’s case officially remains unsolved.
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