Widow of Miguel Uribe Turbay names 'Marcos Calarcá' as alleged instigator of assassination
María Claudia Tarazona claims to have received an alert two months before the murder of her husband, in which former representative Luis Alberto Albán was identified as the organiser of the attack.
Uribe Turbay's widow to hand Prosecutor's Office message naming 'Marcos Calarcá'
According to infobae.com, María Claudia Tarazona, widow of former senator and former presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay, announced on Thursday 15 October that she will hand over to the General Prosecutor's Office a chat message she received before her husband's assassination, in which an unidentified source attributed to former representative Luis Alberto Albán—known by his nom de guerre 'Marcos Calarcá'—the alleged organisation of the attack.
In statements to Blu Radio, Tarazona read aloud the contents of the exchange which she claims to have kept on her phone. The message mentioned Albán, who held a seat in the Chamber of Representatives for the Comunes party as part of the implementation of the Peace Agreement with the defunct Farc. The widow also expressed her displeasure with what she described as the Prosecutor's Office's lack of interest in the content of that communication.
Tarazona herself cautioned that it is up to the courts to determine the veracity of the information. "If the Prosecutor's Office comes to me and tells me: 'Look, María Claudia, this information is not true, this has no evidentiary basis, we cannot open a line of investigation'. Fine", she said.
The content of the message and the origin of the alert
Tarazona indicated that she received the warning approximately two months before Uribe Turbay's assassination, which took place on 11 August 2025. According to the transcription she read on air, the sender claimed that Albán, from Valle del Cauca, would be organising a group to carry out the attack. "That bastard Marcos Calarcá is organising eight thugs called commandos to go and commit the assassination", the woman read.
The message also detailed the source of that information: "A very loyal source very close to them told me. I believe them one hundred per cent", Tarazona insisted when referring to the sender of the chat. The communication also included a direct warning about the then former senator's safety: "That's why I'm telling you so that you'll be careful and so that you'll tighten your security measures", she read during the interview.
Following Uribe Turbay's death, the same exchange allegedly included a complaint about the former congressman's protection detail. "Where the hell was Miguel's security detail? I told you they were going to kill him", Tarazona read in front of the cameras.
Complaint to the Prosecutor's Office over lack of progress
The widow questioned that, according to her account, a month and a half elapsed without the Prosecutor's Office opening a line of investigation based on the message's content. "For a month and a half the Prosecutor's Office has not opened a line of investigation", she said. At the same time, she clarified that she does not seek to substitute the work of investigators. "The objective criteria rests with the Prosecutor's Office, not with María Claudia", she said.
However, Tarazona expressed that the coincidence between the prior warning and the crime causes her doubts. "It's very difficult for me to think otherwise, when this person makes this announcement two months before and kills him and the money reaches Venezuela. So, is it a coincidence?", she said with her voice breaking. She also acknowledged that her condition as a grieving widow may affect her perception: "I am affected, I am involved, I am in mourning. So my judgment is not the most objective judgment".
A plea for her children and for Colombia
Tarazona said that her main motivation is to clarify Uribe Turbay's assassination so that her children do not have to assume that search in the future. She mentioned in particular Alejandro, one of her sons. "I want to look into Alejandro's eyes and tell him: 'Love, you are free because your father's killers are paying for what they did'", she said, pointing out that since her husband's death she has assumed the role of both father and mother.
She also called on the media to join her appeal. "I need you to add your voices to mine and I need the Prosecutor's Office to exert all its effort and everything in its hands to be able to reach the final consequences", she said. Tarazona linked her case to the need for other political crimes not to go unpunished in Colombia.
Comunes party rejects accusations
'Marcos Calarcá' is the nom de guerre of Luis Alberto Albán, who represented Comunes in the Chamber following the signing of the Peace Agreement that ended more than five decades of armed conflict with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. So far, Albán has not issued an official statement in direct response to the message released by Tarazona.
His most recent social media post corresponds to a joint statement from former Comunes congressmen in which they rejected the widow's accusations and stated that they are the subject of a smear campaign promoted by sectors close to the government of Abelardo de la Espriella.
Source: Google News CO — Crime