Sentenced to 20 years for kidnapping and murder of former Venezuelan soldier in Santiago
Chilean justice has sentenced Maickel Villegas, a member of Tren de Aragua, for the homicide of Ronald Ojeda. This is the first oral trial verdict in the case.
Tren de Aragua: 20 years in prison for the murder of Venezuelan refugee in Chile
A Chilean court sentenced Maickel David Villegas Rodríguez to 20 years in prison on Thursday for the kidnapping and homicide of former Venezuelan lieutenant Ronald Ojeda, according to dw.com. It is the first sentence handed down in an oral trial in the framework of this case.
Villegas, identified as a member of the Tren de Aragua cell known as Los Piratas, was extradited from Costa Rica in November 2024. The prosecution identified him as responsible for compiling audiovisual material to document the execution of the crime.
The case already had previous convictions in Chile for three other individuals implicated, although these were handed down under abbreviated procedure.
The events occurred on 21 February 2024, when five men dressed in police uniforms removed Ojeda from his apartment in Santiago while he was in underwear. Nine days later, his body was found in a suitcase buried in a suburb of the capital. He was 32 years old.
Ojeda had fled Venezuela in 2017 after being accused of conspiracy against the regime of Nicolás Maduro. In late 2023, Chile granted him the status of political refugee.
According to the prosecution's version, Tren de Aragua was contracted from Venezuela to carry out the murder. A witness implicated Diosdado Cabello, Venezuelan Interior Minister and central figure of chavismo, in ordering the killing.
Source: Google News CL — Crime