Convicted to 17 years for murder of student Fredy Guzmán on Transmilenio, Bogotá
Kevin Naranjo Lemus will receive 17 and a half years in prison for the murder of university student Fredy Guzmán at a Transmilenio station. The formal sentence will be read on 29 October.
Plea agreement seals first conviction for murder of university student on Transmilenio
Kevin Leonardo Naranjo Lemus will be sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison for his participation in the murder of Fredy Santiago Guzmán, a student at Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios (Uniminuto), who was killed during an attempted robbery at a Transmilenio station in western Bogotá. According to infobae.com, a trial judge approved the plea agreement signed between the defendant and the Public Prosecutor's Office; the formal reading of the sentence is scheduled for 29 October 2026.
The night of the crime at Minuto de Dios station
The crime occurred on 15 April 2026. According to the investigation led by a prosecutor from the Life Crimes Unit of the Bogotá District and the Technical Investigation Corps (CTI), Fredy Santiago Guzmán was waiting for an articulated bus to return to his residence when he was approached by at least three people who attempted to rob him of his mobile phone.
The young man resisted and sustained a wound from a sharp weapon to the chest that caused his death, despite being taken to Hospital de Engativá. The Public Prosecutor's Office established that Naranjo Lemus and at least two other men entered the station irregularly between 9:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. through side doors, at the same location where the victim was.
The role of Naranjo Lemus: holding the bus doors open
Naranjo Lemus's participation did not involve the direct attack with a blade. According to evidence gathered by the Public Prosecutor's Office, his role came after the crime and was decisive for the group's escape.
"You held the articulated bus doors open so that this way they would remain open and your criminal associates could enter and escape on the bus," the prosecutor in the case said during the hearings. While Naranjo held the vehicle, Fredy Santiago lay wounded on the platform waiting for medical assistance.
In the approved plea agreement, Naranjo accepted responsibility for the crimes of murder and aggravated theft in attempted degree. Initially, when he was charged with those same aggravated crimes, the defendant had not accepted the charges and a judge of guarantees ordered him held in custody as a security measure.
Arrest in Cedritos weeks after the crime
Naranjo Lemus was captured weeks after the crime in the Cedritos sector, in northern Bogotá, while working at a fast food restaurant on Calle 147.
Harold Figueroa Ballén, the second defendant
For the same facts, the Public Prosecutor's Office also charged Harold Figueroa Ballén, accused of directly approaching the student. "You intimidated him with a sharp weapon with the aim of robbing him of his belongings, his mobile phone. The victim resisted the assault, at which point you injured him and beat him on several occasions," the prosecutor said in describing Figueroa Ballén's actions. He remains in detention in a prison facility.
The prosecution did not specify in its most recent statement whether Figueroa Ballén has sought a plea agreement or what the current status of his criminal proceedings is. Judicial proceedings continue to clarify the degree of involvement of each of those involved.
First final ruling six months after the crime
With the approval of Naranjo Lemus's plea agreement, the case moves towards its first final conviction six months after the crime occurred. The murder of Fredy Santiago Guzmán generated rejection in the Uniminuto university community and among users of the capital's mass transport system.
Source: Google News CO — Bogotá