QUITO: An Ecuadorian court sentenced five defendants accused of murdering former presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio to prison terms between 12 and 34 years.
Carlos Angulo, alias "Invisible, " one of the leaders of the drug trafficking gang "Los Lobos, " and Laura Castillo were sentenced to the maximum penalty of 34 years and eight months in prison for orchestrating the murder, reported Xinhua news agency.
Another two men and a woman were sentenced to 12 years in prison as accomplices.
The court also demands full reparation for the suffering of Villavicencio's family.
Villavicencio, a 59-year-old politician and journalist, was killed in an armed attack after a political rally in the city of Quito on Aug. 9, 2023. He was campaigning in early elections after then-President Guillermo Lasso dissolved the National Assembly amid a political crisis.