The former police officer, Benjamín Núñez, will undergo 29 years in prison for the murder of three young people in Chochó, Sucre, in July of last year.
After Núñez reached a preliminary agreement with the Prosecutor’s Office, a maximum sentence of 29 years in prison was contemplated in exchange for his collaboration as a witness against others involved.
The colonel (r) was accused of murdering Jesús David Díaz, 18, at “point blank range”; José Carlos Arévalo, 20, and Carlos Alberto Ibáñez, 26, in the township of Chochó.
In the virtual hearing, the judge indicated that the 50% reduction in the sentence is proportional, since there is evidence that Núñez has collaborated with justice.
Regarding the deaths of the young people and their alleged links to the Clan del Golfo, Núñez recounted a few days ago: “So I do it without thinking, what I do is pull the trigger and shoot the boy. At no time did I conclude, it is simply that we assumed because the only one that could kill policemen was the ‘Clan del Golfo’. It’s that that was one, I shot him, I did so so. I told him to lie down and I shot him
Núñez’s defense requested a special detention center due to his professional status as a police lieutenant colonel, and for security. However, Aníbal Garay, representative of one of the victims, opposed the ex-officer being held in a police school and suggested that he could be sent to La Picota prison in Bogotá or La Dorada prison, Caldas, which They have special confinement pavilions.
The date of the sentencing hearing has been set for May 29, 2023 at 8:00 a.m.