Professor arrested for suspected murder of wife in Córdoba car fire

Gerardo Gasparutti, a 43-year-old university professor and researcher, has been arrested and charged with qualified homicide following the death of his wife, María Lucila Pagani, in Córdoba, Argentina.

The incident occurred on June 14 near Villa Allende when the couple's Renault Sandero caught fire while they were traveling. While Gasparutti emerged largely uninjured, Pagani suffered severe burns and died three days later in intensive care.

Initially, Gasparutti claimed the fire was caused by a mobile phone battery exploding while charging. However, investigators dismissed this theory after finding no evidence of a phone, cables, or a charger in the wreckage. Forensic experts instead discovered traces of combustible liquid, leading prosecutor Liliana Copello to order the arrest.

The victims were prominent academics; Pagani worked at the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, and Gasparutti served as a director at Universidad Siglo 21. The case has caused significant shock within the local academic community.