Second most wanted man in Manabí arrested for murder of former Portoviejo mayoral candidate
Police detained Ruperto, the alleged suspect in the murder of lawyer José Miguel Mendoza, which occurred in July 2024. The suspect is believed to have links with Los Lobos.
Suspect in murder of former Portoviejo mayoral candidate arrested
The National Police arrested Ruperto, identified as the alleged suspect involved in the murder of José Miguel Mendoza, a lawyer and former mayoral candidate for Portoviejo, according to expreso.ec. The crime occurred on 2 July 2024 in the Manabí capital.
The authorities state that the detainee was considered the second most wanted man in the province of Manabí and is believed to have links with the criminal organisation Los Lobos.
The attack in the Municipal neighbourhood
The murder took place in the Municipal neighbourhood, north of Portoviejo, when Mendoza was travelling in his vehicle. According to investigations, the former political candidate was waiting in front of a security company when two armed men, who were travelling on a motorcycle, opened fire on him. At the scene, officers collected eight ballistic clues.
Following the crime, the Police carried out various procedures to locate the motorcycle used in the attack and identify those responsible. By September 2024, five people had already been linked to the legal proceedings related to the case.
Suspect summoned to trial
Ruperto was located and arrested in Portoviejo. The suspect faces a charge of murder and also has an outstanding arrest warrant for receiving stolen goods. The authorities did not specify what his specific degree of participation in the crime would have been.
The Police indicated that the detainee was placed at the disposal of the competent authorities to continue with the corresponding legal proceedings.
Profile of the victim
José Miguel Mendoza was a lawyer by profession and participated in two electoral contests to reach the office of Mayor of Portoviejo. In the 2019 sectional elections he stood as a candidate for the Avanza movement and obtained second place. In the 2023 elections he ran again with the local movement Gente Nueva, although the mayoralty was won by Javier Pincay.
Mendoza also held positions in different public institutions: he was an adviser to the Manabí Prefecture, prosecutor for the Municipality of Santa Ana and legal submanager of Celec. He was married and father of four children.
Source: Google News EC — Crime