Suspect detained after murder of lawyer Leonardo Toledo in Guayaquil
Police arrested a suspect following a pursuit in Guayaquil, hours after the murder of lawyer Leonardo Toledo, known for the Metástasis case.
One detained and four weapons seized following lawyer Toledo's death
The National Police detained a suspect on Tuesday 27 October in the Casuarina district of Guayaquil, hours after the murder of lawyer Leonardo Toledo, according to eluniverso.com. Toledo was publicly known for having assumed the defence of Mayra Salazar in the Metástasis case.
The commander of Zone 8, Walter Villarroel, reported that officers intercepted a red vehicle whose occupants attempted to escape. The vehicle had been reported stolen days earlier.
During the procedure, uniformed officers found four firearms: a 9-millimetre rifle and three pistols. A device used to force doors during raids was also found. Villarroel clarified that the detainee has no criminal record, and the evidence was placed at the disposal of the authorities for the corresponding proceedings.
Police continue searching for the other suspects who managed to escape and is working to determine whether there is a link to organised crime groups. The detainee's connection to the crime will need to be clarified during the course of the investigation.
Toledo was murdered on the morning of that Tuesday in the Sauces 2 district, in northern Guayaquil. The lawyer gained notoriety in 2024 upon assuming the defence of Mayra Salazar, a former official of the Provincial Court of Justice of Guayas investigated in the Metástasis case.
His name also appeared in the Implacable case, an investigation opened by the Public Prosecutor's Office in July 2024 for alleged influence peddling, alongside lawyer Francisco Fierro, who served as external adviser to a bank.
On 9 October, Toledo published a photograph on his social media with a message in which he announced that he would continue revealing information about alleged straw men for Xavier Jordán and about a so-called "NarcoMayor" who, according to what he wrote, would be seeking re-election. Jordán is identified by the Public Prosecutor's Office as one of the alleged intellectual authors of the murder of former presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.
Source: Google News EC — Guayaquil