Court upholds preventive detention of four defendants in Villavicencio murder case
An Ecuadorian court unanimously rejected the appeal by four defendants in the case of the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, including former minister José Serrano.
Court rejects Serrano and Los Lobos leaders' appeal in Villavicencio murder case
An Ecuadorian court rejected on Monday the appeal against preventive detention filed by four defendants in the case of the murder of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, which occurred in 2023. This was reported by infobae.com, based on a dispatch from the EFE news agency.
The magistrates unanimously ruled that the deprivation of liberty measure imposed against former Correa-era minister José Serrano, businessman Xavier Jordán and the leaders of Los Lobos Luis Arboleda—known as 'Gordo Luis'—and Esteban Aguilar—'Lobo Menor'—is suitable, necessary, proportional and reasonable to guarantee their appearance in the criminal proceedings.
The court also rejected alternative precautionary measures requested by the defence, determining that they did not offer sufficient guarantees for the success of justice nor to prevent the defendants from evading the law.
Procedural situation of the defendants
Jordán and Serrano have been in the United States for several years. The former Correa-era minister is held in Adams County Correctional Centre, in Mississippi, after being detained last year by the United States immigration service.
Arboleda and Aguilar remain in Cárcel del Encuentro, the maximum-security prison promoted by President Daniel Noboa and inspired by the prison model of Nayib Bukele in El Salvador.
The proceedings, which are in the pre-trial preparation phase, also include businessman Daniel Salcedo—already convicted in other corruption cases—and former Correa-era assemblyman Ronny Aleaga, former leader of the Latin Kings. Also charged is Wilmer Chavarría, alias 'Pipo', the top leader of Los Lobos, detained since November in Spain, where he faces extradition proceedings.
The crime that shocked the country
Fernando Villavicencio was murdered on 9 August 2023 as he left an election rally, just days before the first round of extraordinary elections. Five people have already been convicted as the material perpetrators of the murder, including Carlos Angulo, alias 'El Invisible', another Los Lobos leader who directed the planning and logistics of the crime from prison.
Eight other people implicated have died, including seven Colombian hitmen hired to carry out the attack. One was killed at the crime scene; the others were murdered days later in prisons, under circumstances still unclear.
Source: Google News EC — Crime