Maria Marta
True Crime

Netflix’s ‘Carmel: Who Killed Maria Marta?’ explores a chilling South American mystery

Was Carlos Carrascosa really responsible for his wife's demise?

Carmel: Who Killed Maria Marta is on its way to becoming the next ‘water cooler’ moment for Netflix — well, if we were allowed in offices that is.

It tells the shocking story of the brutal murder of a beloved TV star who was found dead in her home on October 27, 2002.

What followed stunned an entire nation, and went on to become one of the most harrowing mysteries South America has ever seen.

As a result, there’s plenty of burning questions that still desperately need answering.

Maria Marta’s death has left authorities stumped (Credit: Netflix)

Why was there superglue traces present on Maria Marta?

According to the autopsy, doctors found what appeared to be traces of a chemical present in superglue around her bullet wounds.

This led to widespread speculation that someone had tried to hide the fact she had been shot.

However, her family said the chemical found was also present in the lice shampoo that Maria Marta used a lot because of her work with missing and impoverished children.

Were Maria Marta and her husband secretly related?

To be clear, this was one of the dafter claims that emerged during the trial.

However, it was simply a fabrication made up by the tabloid media in Argentina. There is absolutely zero basis for the claim.

Did Maria Marta’s neighbour kill her?

This is currently the on-going theory.

At the time of her passing, Nicolás already had a criminal record for robbery already. Those close to Maria Marta believe that she stumbled upon Nicolás robbing her home in Carmel Country Club.

Some think his now ex wife, Inés Dávalos, was an accomplice.

While he had an alibi at the time, three teenage witnesses also claim to have seen him jogging near Maria Marta’s home on the day of her death.

Carlos Carrascosa spent five years in prison (Credit: Netflix)

Why was Maria Marta’s husband acquitted?

The court’s original ruling failed to blame Carlos for his wife’s death. However, the prosecutor appealed the decision and two years later he was sentenced to five and a half years for “covering up” the crime.

This was then changed to life imprisonment, and in doing so, hope began to fade that he may ever be free.

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However, Carlos fought the charge while behind bars, and the Supreme Court intervened.

Examination of the evidence revealed that Maria Marta’s death had occurred an hour earlier than first thought. Unsurprisingly, this meant Carlos could not have carried out the crime.

Because of this, his sentence was swiftly overturned.

Police were determined to pin the murder on Carlos (Credit: Netflix)

Where is Maria Marta’s husband now?

Carlos went on trail for Maria Marta’s murder. He was acquitted in 2007, but two years later the appeal was overturned.

After five years behind bars he was acquitted for a second time.

As a result, he spends the majority of the Netflix documentary trying to clear his name.

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He released a book about his wife’s death at the beginning of 2020, titled Diary of an Innocent: One Love, One Cause, One Life.

Carlos turned 75 this year, and he is believed to still be living in Argentina.

No one knows what really happened that afternoon (Credit: Netflix)

Where does the Maria Marta case stand now?

As of November 2020, no one else has been arrested in connection with the crime. As a result, the investigation is on-going.

Police never bothered to look at other explanations (Credit: Netflix)

Why did police not pursue other lines of investigation?

Normally, when police suspect foul play involving a spouse there is evidence that points to an unhappy marriage.

However, all the evidence suggests that Carlos and Maria Marta were just as in love as they were when they had met.

To make matters worse, Carlos had an alibi for the time of the murder. This led some to question the motive behind the police’s investigation into Carlos.

Even more damningly, a surveillance camera that may have revealed new evidence coincidentally happened to be malfunctioning that day.

It appeared to some that Carlos was the easiest target for a police force who were under intense pressure to wrap the case up.

Carmel: Who Killed Maria Marta? is available to stream on Netflix.

Who do you think was responsible for the death of Maria Marta? If you have a theory, leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know. 

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