By Alexandra Valencia
QUITO (Reuters) -A court docket in Ecuador on Friday handed down jail sentences of 12 years and 34 years for 5 individuals discovered responsible of murdering presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.
Journalist and former legislator Villavicencio was shot whereas leaving a rally in August 2023, turning into probably the most outstanding sufferer of Ecuador’s spiraling violence.
The ruling, learn out by Milton Maroto, one of many court docket’s three judges, will be appealed by each the prosecution and the protection. The trial began on the finish of June.
Prosecutors accused a minimum of two of these tried of belonging to the Los Lobos crime gang, amongst 22 legal gangs designated as terrorists by President Daniel Noboa in January.
In accordance with the lawyer common’s workplace, Carlos Edwin Angulo Lara, often known as ‘El Invisible’ (‘The Invisible’), gave the order to homicide Villavicencio from jail, whereas Laura Dayanara Castillo was in command of logistics.
Each Angulo and Castillo have been sentenced to 34 years and eight months.
Erick Ramirez, Victor Flores and Alexandra Chimbo have been sentenced to 12 years.
Villavicencio, whose journalism uncovered corruption and connections between organized crime and politicians, had lengthy confronted threats.
Prosecutors are enterprise a separate investigation into who requested the homicide.
One of many hit males died on the scene of Villavicencio’s homicide and 7 different suspects – largely Colombian residents – have been murdered in October whereas being held in prisons on pre-trial detention.
Villavicencio’s family and friends have decried a number of delays and urged investigation into who ordered the killing.
Veronica Sarauz, Villavicencio’s widow, had requested judges earlier on Friday in a submit on X to use the complete weight of the legislation to these accused.
