Ecuador judge orders pre-trial detention in candidate murder plot

4/9/2025 6:18

An Ecuadorean judge on Wednesday ordered pre-trial detention for two men accused of masterminding the 2023 assassination of anti-corruption presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.



In the same ruling, a former government minister and another suspect, both currently in the United States, were also ordered to report periodically to an Ecuadorean consulate.



Villavicencio, the most prominent victim of Ecuador's recent crime wave, was shot and killed outside a campaign event. Five people were convicted last year for carrying out the killing, but prosecutors have long stated they are pursuing the masterminds behind the crime.



The judge on Wednesday ordered pre-trial detention for Daniel Salcedo, already in prison on separate charges, for allegedly acting as an intermediary with the Los Lobos gang, whose members carried out the attack. The judge also ordered former lawmaker Ronny Aleaga be detained pending trial, though

his whereabouts are unknown.