The assassination of presidential candidate and senator Miguel Uribe Turbay resulted in the first conviction. A judge sentenced the young hitman who shot him to seven years in prison, an amount that, given that he is 15 years old, means he must serve resocialization measures under strict surveillance in a specialized care center.
The Democratic Center candidate was the victim of a young man's attack on June 7th in El Golfito Park in the Modelia neighborhood of Bogotá. Around 5 p.m., the young man shot him in the head and leg with a 9mm Glock pistol. The politician was immediately taken to the Santa Fe Clinic, where he died on August 11th. The minor was arrested two blocks from the scene, where he was planning to flee on a motorcycle that was waiting for him.
"After assessing the evidence provided by the Prosecutor's Office and the voluntary acceptance of charges made during the arraignment hearing, a judge from the Juvenile Criminal Responsibility System sentenced the minor who shot Senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay," the prosecuting body officially announced.
For his part, lawyer Víctor Mosquera, representative of the candidate's family, also spoke out."Under the Law of Children and Adolescents one of the highest penalties was imposed on the minor who murdered Miguel Uribe Turbay: 84 months. We respect the decision, but that penalty is never comparable to the life he took or the pain caused. This law encourages crime to use minors without real and effective punishment," he said.
The young man's defense, which requested that he not be deprived of his liberty, appealed. Consequently, the case will now be reviewed by a special chamber of the Superior Court of Bogotá.
The proceedings against the minor
The minor's prosecution was for attempted murder and illegal possession of a weapon, which he ultimately accepted in court, leading to his sentence being seven years of the maximum eight-year sentence allowed by law. He was sentenced to these charges because he had accepted them at the arraignment hearing, and although the victim was still alive at that time, the law could not change them.
The minor was one of the first to negotiate with the Prosecutor's Office, providing key information to investigators, data that led to the identification of other alleged perpetrators of the assassination.
For now, the young man is in the Attorney General's Office bunker in Bogotá, under strict special care by officials from the Family Welfare Agency, an entity that, according to sources close to the case, will have to assume his care and determine where to send him. To do so, it will have to take into account parameters of protection, education, and restoration.
His participation in the assassination was revealed by the Prosecutor's Office in various hearings held against the six people arrested for the crime. The minor, whose house was inspected by agents, was known as 'Tianz', and a few months ago he went through the Jóvenes en Paz program, from which he was released.
For the attack, he told authorities he hadn't been informed who the victim was and that he had been offered 20 million pesos - which he never received - to kill her. The person who apparently gave him directions to the location was"El Costeño."
"During the course of the investigation, it was learned that the young man was contacted and convinced to carry out the armed attack. He was then summoned to the Modelia neighborhood and, aboard a car driven by Carlos Eduardo Mora, received a 9mm Glock pistol from Elder José Arteaga," the Prosecutor's Office explained.
Various security cameras in the area show that he first arrived on a motorcycle hired through a mobile app. He walked for several minutes around El Golfito Park and met up with"El Costeño" and alias Gabriela. Afterward, among the crowd of the candidate's followers, the minor positioned himself to shoot him with his 9mm Glock, which was seized and examined by specialized CTI technicians.
The other defendants are Carlos Eduardo Mora, alias El Veneco; Katerine Andrea Martínez, alias Gabriela; William Fernando González; Cristian Camilo González; and Elder José Arteaga, known by the alias"El Costeño" and alleged logistical coordinator for the hit.
How will he serve his sentence?
Because he was a minor, the hitman was sentenced under the Juvenile Criminal Responsibility System (Spra), which allows for a maximum sentence of eight years. In this case, he was not sentenced to that amount because he cooperated with the justice system and admitted to the two crimes committed.
While in prison, the young man will receive guidance to provide him with tools for resocialization. One such center could be the El Redentor Center, south of Bogotá, a specialized facility for such purposes and run by Bienestar Familiar (Family Welfare). However, the institution will have to take into account that the minor is in the witness protection program, which will be crucial when determining where he will serve his sentence.
