Colombian justice has convicted four people of murdering Paraguayan prosecutor Marcelo Pecci, who was killed on May 10 while he was on his honeymoon. The defendants were each sentenced to 47 years in prison, but the sentences were reduced to 23 years and six months each. The jury took place this Friday (17) in Cartagena.
During the hearing, Wendre Still, Scott Carrillo, Eiverson Adrián Zabaleta Arrieta, Gabriel Carlos Luis Salinas Mendonza, and Cristian Camilo Monsalve Londoño were charged with murder and illegal possession of firearms, and all confessed to murdering Pecci.
As announced by the Colombian judiciary, Wendret Carrilo has been identified as the main perpetrator of the shooting; Eeverson was the one who transported the shooters on a jet ski; and Marisol and Cristian were assigned to study and report every movement of Pecci and his wife who were staying at a resort during their honeymoon.
During the jury session, a fifth person pleaded not guilty and a sixth suspect remains at large, according to Colombian police.
Investigators believe a person on the private beach leaked information about the prosecutor who was killed on their honeymoon in Colombia
2 of 2 moments before death, Marcelo Pecci and his wife announced their pregnancy — Photo: Social Networks/ Reproduction
Shortly before the death, Marcelo Pecci and his wife announced their pregnancy — Photo: Social Networks/ Reproduction
Pecci was killed on May 10 on Bauro Beach in the Colombian Caribbean while enjoying his honeymoon. He married pregnant journalist Claudia Aguilera on April 30.
The 45yearold prosecutor investigated cases of human trafficking and organized crime. The murder, committed by mercenaries shooting aboard jet skis, stirred Paraguayan society.
Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benítez confirmed the death on a social network: “The cowardly murder of Prosecutor Marcelo Pecci in Colombia leaves the entire Paraguayan nation in mourning. We condemn in the strongest terms this tragic incident and redouble our commitment to fighting organized crime,” he said.
Paraguayan prosecutor Marcelo Pecci has acted in emblematic cases on the BrazilParaguay border in Pedro Juan Caballero, a town next to Ponta Porã (MS), 324 km from Campo Grande. The neighboring country’s public prosecutor’s office was involved in the investigation into the arrest of Ronaldinho Gaúcho and the massacre of the governor’s daughter of Amambay (PY).
Prosecutors have been active in the investigation of several firearms high impact crimes in the border region, such as the October 2021 massacre that killed four people, including Haylee Carolina Acevedo Yunis, daughter of Amambay State Governor Ronald Acevedo .
In addition to the massacre, in 2020 the prosecutor served in the prison of former player Ronaldinho Gaúcho and his brother Roberto de Assis for entering Paraguay with manipulated passports.
In addition to the cases of Ronaldinho Gaúcho and the daughter of the governor of Amambay, Marcelo was involved in investigations into the execution of Brazilian journalist Léo Veras.