An Ecuador court convicted and sentenced gang members for the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, the Attorney General’s Office announced on Friday.

Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was shot dead in Quito on August 9 of 2023, just a few days before election day. Videos show him being escorted to a vehicle when gunshots rang out. The assassination was part of a surge in violent crime linked to rival drug-trafficking gangs, with murder rates doubling between 2020 and 2022 . The Prosecutor’s Office filed charges the day after the murder against Carlos Edwin AL, Laura Dayanara CV, Erick Marcelo RP, Víctor Alfonso F. and Alexandra Elizabeth CF.

The trial hearings took place in July of this year, lasting over eight days, and included the presentation of various forms of evidence, such as 77 testimonies and more than 20 documentary pieces.

Carlos Edwin AL and Laura Dayanara CV were convicted with an aggravated sentence. Carlos Edwin AL was identified as the immediate author and Laura Dayanara CV as co-author. Both of them were sentenced to 34 years and 8 months in prison. In addition to that, they were fined the equivalent of 1,000 basic salaries and ordered to pay $100,000 in restitution. Currently, the basic salary in Ecuador this year is $460, compared to $450 in 2023.

Erik Marcelo RP, Víctor Alfonso F. and Alexandra Elizabeth CF were sentenced to 12 years in prison as accomplices in the murder. Each of the three convicted individuals is required to pay a fine equivalent to 340 unified basic salaries and provide $33,000 in restitution.

Villavicencio was one of the many victims of political violence in Ecuador. In 2024, some of the victims included Mayor José Sánchez, who was killed by individuals armed with rifles while he was exercising, and Mayor Jorge Maldonado, who was found shot dead less than 48 hours later.