Kidnapping and murder in Colina: detention of accused Venezuelan suspects extended
Two suspects charged with the kidnapping and murder of Martín Pérez, a 19-year-old youth, will have their detention extended and will be formally charged on Monday alongside a third accused.
Suspects in death of youth in Colina to be formally charged on Monday
The Supraregional Prosecution obtained an extension of detention for two of the suspects in the case of the kidnapping and murder of Martín Pérez Burgos, a 19-year-old youth abducted on Monday 26 October in the commune of Estación Central, Metropolitan Region. According to latercera.com, the ruling was ratified in courtroom F 203 of the Justice Centre, and the two individuals will be formally charged from 13:00 hours on Monday alongside a third suspect.
"Both suspects to this day are part of the group that kidnapped the victim, who held him in captivity and then transferred him from one safe house to another, at the moment when the victim's death occurred," declared prosecutor Pablo Sabaj of the Supraregional Prosecution.
Criminal gang coordinated from penal institutions
When asked about the criminal group's modus operandi, Sabaj explained that the planning of the crime "is strongly linked to people who are in prison facilities". According to the prosecutor, these gangs operate through the use of "mobile telephones, they plan criminal acts, give instructions, order and move people to commit crimes, to collect money from extortion rackets".
Sabaj described the suspects as "very young people, aged 18, 19, 20 years approximately". The prosecution clarified that all those detained are Venezuelan nationals, some with police records and in both regular and irregular migration situations.
Extortion for 50 million pesos
The captors initiated extortion of Pérez's family using videos of the victim requesting help, demanding approximately $50 million for his release. The family members made part of the payment but lost contact with the kidnappers. Martín Pérez's body was found four days after the abduction, inside a restaurant in the commune of Colina.
Initial forensic examinations suggest that death occurred during the first hours of captivity, which would imply that the kidnappers extorted the family when the youth was already dead.
One of the detainees would be the perpetrator of the murder
Metropolitan ECOH Chief Prosecutor (acting) Pablo Sabaj stated that "intensive work was carried out from Tuesday in the early morning hours, resulting in the detention of five people, four of whom are directly involved in the kidnapping". He added that "one of the people detained today (Friday) is probably the person who caused the death of the kidnapping victim".
Regarding the circumstances of the death, Sabaj indicated that "it is most likely that it occurred during transfer between one safe house and the other", although the investigation remains open.
Additionally, a woman detained at one of the locations of interest was charged with drug dealing, with no proven connection to the kidnapping or murder to date.
Source: Google News CL — Santiago