Who Is Juan Manuel Reverter? Boyfriend of Murdered Argentine Model Agostina Jalabert Arrested Three Years After Living Illegally in Oregon

The boyfriend of an Argentine model who was allegedly killed at her home in Mexico three years ago has been arrested while allegedly living in the United States without legal status, authorities said. Juan Manuel Reverter, 38, also an Argentine national, is accused of killing Agostina Jalabert, 31, in February 2023.

Reverter allegedly then staged the scene to look like a suicide by leaving Jalabert hanging from a towel rack in their apartment in Playa del Carmen, according to KOIN. However, he was finally tracked in the United States and arrested on Thursday morning in central Oregon in a joint operation involving the U.S. Marshals Service, Homeland Security, and Interpol.

Nabbed at Last

Authorities said Reverter had been living in the United States after entering the country on a six-month visa in August 2024. “In violation of our nation’s laws, he overstayed his visa. He will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings,” a Homeland Security spokesperson said, confirming his arrest.

An Interpol Red Notice had been issued for Reverter’s arrest in December last year, with investigators believing he may have fled to the United States, Belize, Guatemala, or Argentina, La Nación reported.

“For us, this is like Christmas,” said the model’s sister, Candela, who was the one who found the body of her “soul mate” sister.

“Three years counted in hours waiting for justice. The day has arrived,” Candela and her sister, Camila, wrote in a social media post.

Agostina was found hanging from a towel rack in her Playa del Carmen apartment on Feb. 18, 2023.

Prosecutors allege that Reverter killed her before attempting to stage the scene to make it look like she had taken her own life.

Agostina’s mother, Carolina, told Argentine broadcaster América TV in March 2023 that her daughter had been “tortured, burned, abused [and] beaten with blows to the head,” according to Mitre.

Planned Murder Before Fleeing

Candela was just 21 when she discovered her sister’s body, shortly after Agostina had sent a troubling text message to their mother, according to the family. “Mom, I feel ugly, I feel like I deserve men who hurt me.”

Candela said she became concerned after realizing her sister, whom she called her “soulmate,” had disappeared following a stay at the apartment she shared with Reverter.

“I asked him, ‘Okay, where is my sister? Where is Tina?'” she told KOIN.

Reverter said little in response, according to Candela. She then opened the door and found her sister’s body.

Mexican authorities initially ruled Jalabert’s death a suicide, but later reclassified the case as a femicide after the investigation uncovered evidence suggesting she had been killed.