Murder of teacher Kevin Santiago in Bogotá: Prosecution charges eight Venezuelans from Tren de Aragua
Eight Venezuelan citizens, suspected members of Tren de Aragua, are accused of the murder, torture and dismemberment of teacher Kevin Santiago Ángel in Bogotá.
Prosecution reconstructs hours of terror of teacher Kevin Santiago: eight charged with his murder
According to noticiascaracol.com, eight Venezuelan citizens allegedly linked to the transnational gang Tren de Aragua were charged with the murder of teacher Kevin Santiago Ángel, whose dismembered body was found in the south-western part of Bogotá in May 2026. At the charging and pre-trial detention hearing, the National Prosecution Service established the roles that each defendant allegedly played and the possible motive behind the crime.
The case gained public attention after Ángel's own students took to the streets demanding his appearance in the vicinity of Santiago de Atalayas school. The Prosecution maintains that the teacher, who also promoted sports activities to prevent drug abuse, would have interfered with Tren de Aragua operations in the Kennedy district, related to trafficking in illicit substances and extortion. More than 80 police investigative procedures support this line of investigation.
Detention, torture and dismemberment
The investigation establishes that between 20 and 22 May of this year, the teacher was detained and subjected to acts of torture in a property in south-western Bogotá, where he would have been murdered. The autopsy revealed bruising and wounds from sharp weapons to the victim's chest and neck which, whilst not causing his death, caused him intense pain and suffering. His body was dismembered, placed in a suitcase and abandoned in the Tintal neighbourhood.
The alleged ringleader: orders from prison
Osmer Josué Castillo Urbaneja, identified as the leader of the organisation in Bogotá, allegedly issued the order to murder the teacher from inside a detention centre, where he participated in the hearing. The Prosecution holds him responsible for having led the crime, determined the forced disappearance, concealment of the body, torture and theft of the teacher's belongings.
Franyer Eduardo Vázquez Moras allegedly coordinated the execution of the plan and disposal of the body. To lure the victim, he allegedly posed as a woman named Carolina—presented as a friend of alias Alondra—in order to send him the location of the property and gain his trust. According to the Prosecution, it was he who killed and dismembered the teacher, and who transported the suitcase in a bike taxi to the cycle path in the Tintal neighbourhood.
The social media trap
Gacelas Nairobi Sojo Lira, known as alias Alondra, allegedly contacted the teacher from 9 May via social media. Through sustained deception, she managed to get the victim to agree to a meeting at a property in the Galán neighbourhood, the place where he would have been murdered. "She put him in the hands of Tren de Aragua members and helped in his death and coordination of the crime," said the prosecutor in charge of the case.
The other defendants
Emiro Manuel Nieves Morgado, alias Mario Bro, allegedly provided the location of the crime in his capacity as leader of the zone and supplied the suitcase in which the teacher's remains were placed. The Prosecution further states that he watched as the victim's head was placed in a plastic bag, without alerting the authorities.
Luis Alberto Camejo González, alias Luis Panadero, lived in the property and is accused of having received Alondra before the victim's arrival, of detaining the teacher and of cooperating in his murder.
Eduin Vikzabith Herrera Martínez, alias Looney Tones; Arístides José Mendoza Rodríguez, alias Colmillos; and Raúl Antonio Pérez Pérez, alias Tun Tun, are implicated in the detention, acts of torture and transport of the body. Meanwhile, whilst the teacher was being held inside the property, alias Alondra and Mario Bro allegedly used the teacher's phone to make a purchase at a commercial establishment.
Charges rejected
A prosecutor from the Special Investigation Unit charged all eight defendants with murder, torture, forced disappearance and criminal conspiracy, all in aggravated form, as well as concealment, alteration or destruction of material evidence. None of the charged individuals accepted the charges.
During the hearing, the judge drew attention on several occasions to alias Alondra and Osmer Castillo for disregarding the proceedings: both were observed laughing or looking away to converse at different moments during the process.
Source: Google News CL — Santiago