The true story behind Netflix true-crime series Carmel: Who Killed Maria Marta?

Netflix has established itself as the home of true-crime with titles like Unsolved Mysteries and Tiger King, and now the platform is broadening its docuseries repertoire with the addition of Carmel: Who Killed Maria Marta

This upcoming documentary looks at one of the most controversial criminal cases in Argentinian history – the murder of sociologist Maria Marta Garcia Belsunce in 2002.

Featuring interviews with Maria Marta’s family and the prosecutors in her case, Carmel: Who Killed Maria Marta explores the numerous theories around her unsolved death and how police initially missed the signs of foul play.

Here’s everything you need to know about the true story behind Carmel: Who Killed Maria Marta.

When is Carmel: Who Killed Maria Marta on Netflix?

Carmel: Who Killed Maria Marta arrives on Netflix on Thursday 5th November.

Who is Maria Marta?

Maria Marta Garcia Belsunce was a sociologist and charity worker, who was murdered in 2002 at the age of 50.

She was found dead at her home in gated community Carmel, located in Pilar, Buenos Aires. She lived there with her husband Carlos Carrasosa, who she married at the age of 19. The couple did not have any children.

What happened to Maria Marta?

Maria Marta’s body was found in the bath on 27th October 2002 by her husband Carlos, who had been watching a football match with his in-laws.

Police and Carlos originally ruled that Maria Marta’s death had been a freak accident, presuming she had fallen in the bath and hit her head on a tap.

With no suspicion of foul play, her family signed a pre-made death certificate to make the burial process easier – however Maria Marta’s step-brother asked for a thorough investigation.

An autopsy soon found that Maria Marta had actually been shot in the head five times, before being dumped in the bath.

Who killed Maria Marta?

Police first suspected Maria Marta’s husband Carlos and thought that Maria Marta’s family had covered up the murder for him after discovering that glue had been used to hide Maria Marta’s head wounds.

Suspicions were also raised when Maria Marta’s half brother told police that on the day of the incident, he had found a ‘pituto’ – which roughly translates to ‘thingy’ – and thrown it into the toilet without thinking anything of it, however that ‘pituto’ turned out to be a bullet.

Carlos went to trial for Maria Marta’s murder, was acquitted in 2007 but two years later, the Appeals Court overturned the result and found him guilty. He spent five years in jail before the Supreme Court acquitted him in 2016 after DNA analysis found that he did not match any of the blood samples at the crime scene and had an alibi at the time of Maria Marta’s death.

Maria Marta’s family believe that she was killed during a botched robbery and that someone had broken into the house without realising she was there.

Maria Marta’s murder is currently unsolved, with the police unable to identify a killer 18 years later.