Six Colombians Face Murder Charges in Ecuadorian Presidential Candidate’s Killing

At their arraignment on Thursday, the Prosecutor's Office presented charges against the Colombian citizens, the office said on Friday in a statement.

Quito: The Ecuadorian Attorney General’s Office has said that it has charged six Colombians, whom a judge ordered to remain in custody, for their alleged links to the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.

At their arraignment on Thursday, the Prosecutor’s Office presented charges against the Colombian citizens, the office said on Friday in a statement.

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Presented among the charges were evidence reports, eyewitness accounts, the autopsy protocol, ballistic results and security camera videos, among other elements.

After the armed attack that killed Villavicencio, the six suspects were arrested on Wednesday in their homes in two Quito neighbourhoods, where weapons and three grenades were found, Xinhua news agency reported.

The office specified that according to the autopsy protocol, Villavicencio “was shot from long distance, while the ballistic report determined that the casings coincide with one of the rifles found in the raids”.

In addition, a fingerprint was found on a motorcycle abandoned by the defendants, it said, adding that the prosecution’s investigation will remain open for 30 days.