Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio’s killers sentenced to 34 years in prison

Ecuador’s justice system has handed down sentences against five individuals involved in the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. The sentences range from 12 to 34 years in prison, marking a significant chapter in the search for justice in this case that has shaken the South American nation.

Villavicencio, a former member of the National Assembly and investigative journalist, was brutally murdered in August 2023 after leaving a rally in Quito. The candidate was shot in the head and did not survive his injuries.

Connections to organized crime

Prosecutors have revealed that at least two of the defendants had links to the Los Lobos criminal gang, one of 22 organizations recently declared terrorist by President Daniel Noboa. The revelation highlights the complexity of the case and its ramifications in Ecuador’s organized crime underworld.

According to investigations, the order for Villavicencio’s murder came from within the prison system. Carlos Edwin Angulo Lara, known as ‘El Invisible’, was identified as the mastermind, while Laura Dayanara Castigio was responsible for planning the action. Both received the harshest sentence: 34 years and 8 months in prison.

The other three individuals involved in the crime were sentenced to 12 years in prison each, completing the group of five individuals tried in this case. The court decision represents an important step in the fight against impunity and organized crime in Ecuador, sending a clear message about the consequences for those who attack democracy and the lives of public figures in the country.

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