In Ecuador, five individuals have been convicted for their roles in the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. The murder occurred last year and has since led to an investigation revealing connections between criminal gangs.
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Fernando Villavicencio, a 59-year-old former journalist was assassinated on August 9, 2023, as he left a campaign rally at a school in Quito, Ecuador’s capital.
Fernando Villavicencio was attacked by gunmen on motorcycles resulting in his death and injuries to thirteen others.
Carlos Angulo and Laura Castillo, Angulo known as Invisible and Castillo were identified as the instigators of the assassination.
Each received a sentence of 34 years and eight months in prison. Both were ordered to pay $100,000 in compensation to Fernando Villavicencio’s family.
Erick Ramírez, Víctor Flores and Alexandra Chimbo, These three were deemed accomplices responsible for providing logistical support and alerting the actual killers of Fernando Villavicencio’s movements. Each was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Each was ordered to pay $33,000 in compensation.
Angulo and Castillo were linked to the Los Lobos crime gang, one of 22 criminal organizations designated as terrorists by Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa.
Angulo coordinated the assassination from his prison cell via videoconference. Instructions and plans were recorded on mobile phones.
Castillo provided the gunmen with necessary logistics including motorcycles and funds. Ramírez, Flores, and Chimbo tracked Fernando Villavicencio’s movements and alerted the hit squad.
More than 70 people testified during the trial. A witness disclosed that the gang was offered over $200,000 to carry out the murder.
The ruling was announced by Judge Milton Maroto and can be appealed by both prosecution and defense.
Known for his anti-corruption stance Fernando Villavicencio had exposed links between organized crime and politicians. His death underlined the dangers faced by those challenging criminal enterprises.
Fernando Villavicencio’s widow, Veronica Sarauz welcomed the convictions but addressed the need for a thorough investigation to uncover the full extent of the conspiracy.
Family and supporters of Villavicencio held demonstrations in Quito demanding justice and carrying his photographs and flags.
Prosecutors are conducting a separate investigation to identify those who commissioned the assassination.
Out of the 13 initially accused several Colombian nationals were found murdered in Ecuadorian prisons where they were held in pre-trial detention.
Ecuador has traditionally been stable in Latin America. Recent years have seen a surge in violence driven by Colombian and Mexican drug cartels influencing local gangs.
The Los Lobos gang led by Angulo is known to have connections with Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation cartel.
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Six Colombian nationals were arrested shortly after the assassination. They were all killed in prison within two months.
Seven more suspects were later detained. One of these suspects died in custody another was acquitted and the remaining five were brought to trial.
The trial of the five accused individuals began in late June 2024. The prosecution accused at least two of the suspects of belonging to the Los Lobos gang, one of the 22 criminal organizations designated as terrorists by President Daniel Noboa.
On July 12, 2024, the court handed down sentences ranging from 12 to 34 years. Carlos Edwin Angulo Lara, known as ‘El Invisible’ and Laura Dayanara Castillo, who were considered the masterminds behind the plot received the longest sentences of 34 years and eight months each.
The other three, Erick Ramirez, Victor Flores and Alexandra Chimbo were sentenced to 12 years in prison.
In addition to prison sentences, the court imposed fines and compensation payments. Angulo and Castillo were fined $460,000 each and ordered to pay $100,000 to Fernando Villavicencio’s family.
The other three defendants were fined $156,400 each and required to pay $33,000 to the family.
Carlos Edwin Angulo Lara allegedly ordered the assassination from his prison cell. Coordinated the murder through video conference.
Laura Dayanara Castillo, responsible for providing logistical support including motorcycles and money for the gunmen.
Erick Ramirez, Victor Flores, and Alexandra Chimbo acted as accomplices by monitoring Fernando Villavicencio’s movements and alerting the actual killers.
Prosecutors are conducting a separate investigation to determine who ordered Fernando Villavicencio’s murder. A witness claimed there was a $200,000 bounty on Villavicencio’s head due to his anti-gang and anti-corruption stance.
Fernando Villavicencio’s family particularly his widow Veronica Sarauz and daughter Amanda have been vocal in demanding a full investigation and justice for Fernando.
The country’s homicide rate soared from six per 100,000 inhabitants in 2018 to 47 per 100,000 in 2023.
Ecuador’s geographic location with ports on the Pacific makes it a critical transit point for cocaine produced in neighboring Colombia and Peru destined for the United States and Europe.
The United States offered a $5 million reward for information leading to those responsible for Fernando Villavicencio’s murder.
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