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The Ecuadorian judicial system sentenced on Friday to 34 years and eight months in prison the killer of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in August 2023, a crime that took place in broad daylight in Quito and shocked the country days before the vote.
During the trial, a woman was also charged as a co-author and sentenced to the same prison term, while three other accomplices were sentenced to 12 years in prison. The Prosecutor’s Office requested the maximum sentence for all five defendants.
The verdict against the author and co-author includes a fine of $460,000 each and $100,000 in restitution to the family of the murdered politician. Similarly, the three convicted as accomplices must each pay a fine of $156,400 and $33,000 in restitution.
Villavicencio, a public figure in Ecuador known for exposing cases of political corruption linked to organized crime, was shot dead outside a political campaign event north of Quito on August 9, 2023. Thirteen others were injured.
The presidential candidate has previously reported receiving threats.
As the judge announced the verdict, outside the North Judicial Complex, family and friends demonstrated with posters, photos, flags and megaphones of Villavicencio, demanding justice and jail time for all those responsible.
According to the prosecutor’s office, convicted criminal Carlos Angulo, alias “Invisible”, coordinated the murder from a prison in Ecuador where he was held and gave the order for the execution to another person via videoconference, which was recorded on a cell phone. The latter did not process it.
According to the prosecutor’s office, co-author Laura Castillo was responsible for providing the gunman with logistical supplies such as motorcycles and money. Three accomplices, Eric Ramirez, Victor Flores and Alexandra Chimbo, were responsible for informing the perpetrators of the victims’ movements.
Thirteen people were accused of crimes against the politician, including seven Colombians who were arrested and murdered in October of the same year while they were in preventive detention in prisons in Guayaquil and Quito.
The gunman was another Colombian who died after being shot by police on the day of the shooting, according to authorities.
Hugo Espin, the lawyer for Fernando Villavicencio’s wife, explained to the Associated Press that once both parties have received written and reasonable notice, which is expected to be completed in about ten days, the convicted person will have the opportunity to appeal against the loser. If no appeal is filed, the appeal will become final.
The lawyer confirmed that the relatives will now file an “indictment against the organized crime of a powerful group that provided the finances and logistics for the murder of Fernando Villavicencio,” although he did not specify who he was referring to.
Corruption charges in Villavicencio have led to the jailing of former ministers and other former senior officials, mostly from the government of former President Rafael Correa (2007-2017).
The prosecutor’s office said two other investigations had previously been launched to determine the knowledge of the crime and the responsibility of the authorities and police for actions or inactions.
“We will not rest until the entire structure of those responsible, accomplices, financiers and intellectuals who assassinated our father is found,” Villavicencio’s daughters, Amanda and Tamia, responded in a statement. “No one in Ecuador will be safe if we allow impunity in this important case,” they added.
Earlier, the convicted testified on the last day of hearing and denied responsibility.
Angulo claimed he was a “scapegoat” because his guilt could not be proven because he was in prison at the time of the crime. He also said the public authorities “attempted to contact me and violated my rights.”
Ramirez, Flores and Chimbo said they knew nothing about the case and refused to answer questions. Castillo availed himself of his right to remain silent.
The Villavicencio murder trial began on June 24, 2024. During the trial, the prosecutor’s office presented 77 testimonies.
Among them, a protected witness who claimed to have participated in the planning of the murder but not in its killing, José M., who went by the alias “El Cura,” confessed to him that “that head (of Villavicencio) was worth $200,000 and that it was ordered by the government of Rafael C. (Correa).”
Villavicencio, 59, was ranked fourth in opinion polls when he was murdered, just days before incumbent President Daniel Noboa won the first round of presidential elections.
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