Seventh Suspect in Assassination of Ecuadorian Presidential Candidate Killed in Correctional Facility

Authorities confirmed on Saturday that a seventh individual implicated in the August murder of an Ecuadorian presidential contender has been fatally injured inside a detention center in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. This follows the deaths of six other men allegedly associated with the homicide, who were killed in a separate incarceration facility a day earlier.

These homicides occurred just over a week prior to the upcoming presidential runoff elections in Ecuador, creating additional challenges for authorities as they attempt to comprehend how such incidents were able to transpire within prison walls.

According to an official statement from the prison authorities, the deceased was being held at a penitentiary in Quito. The statement provided limited information, identifying the individual only as “José M.” and did not disclose his nationality.

On the preceding Friday, six Colombian nationals, who had been charged with the assassination of Fernando Villavicencio on August 9, were also killed inside a prison facility in Guayaquil.

In response to the escalating crisis, President Guillermo Lasso convened an urgent meeting with his security Cabinet. A subsequent government statement revealed that a decision was made to relocate the remaining six suspects involved in Villavicencio’s assassination to an undisclosed correctional facility for security reasons.

Additionally, the government has dismissed both the director of the prison system and the chief of police investigations, as confirmed by a press release from the presidential communication office.

This series of events unfolds as the Prosecutor’s Office is anticipated to soon finalize the investigation phase into the murder of Villavicencio, who was fatally shot while exiting a political gathering.

Villavicencio, 59, was not originally seen as a leading candidate for the initial round of elections held on August 20. Nonetheless, his murder in broad daylight highlighted the rising tide of criminal activity plaguing Ecuador. He had previously disclosed receiving threats from elements connected to Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel, one of several international criminal organizations operating within Ecuador.

The forthcoming presidential runoff election, scheduled for October 15, will feature the two leading candidates from the August elections: leftist Luisa González and Daniel Noboa, a former legislator and son of a prominent banana magnate.

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More about Ecuadorian Presidential Candidate Assassination

• Ecuador Presidential Candidate Assassination
• Ecuador’s Prison System Crisis
• Profile of President Guillermo Lasso
• Ecuador’s Upcoming Presidential Elections
• Overview of Crime Rates in Ecuador
• Mexico’s Sinaloa Drug Cartel Activities in Ecuador
• Fernando Villavicencio: Life and Politics