Five people have been jailed over the murder of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, who was shot down by gunmen on motorcycles last year.
Incident Overview
Villavicencio, 59, a member of Ecuador’s national assembly and former journalist, was shot dead while leaving a campaign rally on August 9, 2023, in Ecuador’s capital, Quito.
On Friday, two of those jailed were sentenced to 34 years and eight months in prison, and the other three for 12 years.
The ruling, read out by one of the three court judges, Milton Maroto, can be appealed by both the prosecution and defence. The trial commenced at the end of June.
A separate investigation by prosecutors is ongoing to determine who ordered the killing.
Key Figures and Sentences in Villavicencio’s Assassination Case
At least two of the defendants were accused by the prosecutors of belonging to the Los Lobos gang, which is one of the 22 criminal organisations labelled “terrorists” by President Daniel Noboa. They were also accused of being connected to the administration of former President Rafael Correa.
According to the attorney general’s office, Carlos Edwin Angulo Lara, known as ‘El Invisible,’ the alleged leader of the Los Lobos gang, gave the order to murder Villavicencio via videoconference from his jail cell. Another suspect, Laura Castilla, was responsible for logistics, providing the gunmen with items such as motorcycles and money. Both received prison sentences of 34 years and eight months for directing the assassination.
The three other accused—Erick Ramirez, Victor Flores, and Alexandra Chimbo—were described as being in charge of alerting the killers of Villavicencio’s whereabouts and received prison terms of 12 years each.
Angulo denied the charges, claiming he was being made a “scapegoat” for the murder.
Evidence was presented by more than 70 people during the trial, including a key witness who testified that the gang had been offered over $200,000 (₹1,67,03,870) to kill Villavicencio.
One of the men involved in the murder died at the scene. A total of 13 people were accused in the case, including several Colombians who were found murdered while being held in pre-trial detention in Guayaquil and Quito last October.
Villavicencio, an anti-corruption activist, had exposed corruption and links between organised crime and government officials in Ecuador through his journalism. He had previously received death threats.
There’s been nearly a dozen assassinations of politicians in Ecuador since 2023.
Historically known as a relatively safe and stable country, Ecuador has seen a significant rise in crime linked to narcotics trafficking in recent years.
