Active case
Assassination of Fernando Villavicencio
On 9 August 2023, eleven days before the 2023 Ecuadorian general election, presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was shot and killed after leaving a Movimiento Construye campaign rally at the Colegio Anderson in Quito. As he entered a vehicle surrounded by security guards, he was shot in the head three times and was pronounced dead at a nearby clinic. One assailant, later identified as Johan David Castillo López, died in a shootout at the scene. Nine other people were injured, including legislative candidate Gisella Molina and two police officers. An autopsy listed the cause of death as cranial trauma, hemorrhaging and cerebral laceration with a cranial fracture. Villavicencio was the first Ecuadorian presidential candidate assassinated while campaigning since 1978.
Villavicencio had been a member of Ecuador's National Assembly before its dissolution and was polling among the leading presidential candidates. He had previously reported an assassination attempt in September 2022 and had received multiple death threats, including one attributed to the Sinaloa Cartel. His killing occurred amid a wider rise in gang-related political violence in Ecuador, including the assassination of Manta mayor Agustín Intriago a month earlier and the killings of two local candidates in early 2023.
In the hours after the attack, six suspects were arrested and firearms and grenades were seized; police identified them as Colombian hitmen. A video purporting to show the gang Los Lobos claiming responsibility circulated online, though its authenticity was disputed, and a later video showed people claiming to be Los Lobos members denying involvement. Additional suspects were detained in September 2023, including gang leader Laura Dayanara Castillo Velin. In October 2023, several suspects were killed inside prisons in Guayaquil and Quito.
In February 2024, prosecutors said the assassination was ordered by Los Lobos leader Carlos Edwin Angulo Lara, alias "Invisible," from prison, who directed Castillo López to carry out the killing while Castillo Velin supplied weapons and logistics. On 12 July 2024, a Quito court sentenced Angulo and Castillo to 34 years' imprisonment for ordering the assassination, with three other accomplices sentenced to 12 years. Prosecutors stated they had established the timeline of the assassination but had not yet determined the identities or motives of its ultimate masterminds.
On 3 September 2025, prosecutors charged former minister Jose Serrano, former lawmaker Ronny Aleaga, and businessman Xavier Jordan as alleged "intellectual authors" of the killing. In November 2025, a prosecution witness testified that the murder had been ordered by drug trafficker Leandro Norero, alleging that journalist Christian Zurita had solicited money from Norero to suppress reporting on an investigation, and that Norero ordered Villavicencio's killing after further publication of the material. In March 2026, a suspected Los Lobos leader was arrested in Mexico and extradited to Colombia in connection with the case.
The assassination prompted a state of emergency, military deployment, and disruption to the ongoing election, in which Villavicencio's replacement candidate, Christian Zurita, finished third.
Key facts
- Victims
- Fernando Villavicencio
- Date
- 2023
- Location
- Quito, Ecuador
- Case status
- ongoing
Case timeline
2022-09
Villavicencio said he had been the target of an assassination attempt.
2023-07
Manta mayor Agustín Intriago was assassinated amid rising gang violence in Ecuador.
2023-08-09
Fernando Villavicencio was shot and killed leaving a campaign rally in Quito; assailant Johan David Castillo López died in a shootout; nine bystanders injured.
2023-08-11
Public memorial held for Villavicencio in Quito.
2023-08-12
Movimiento Construye announced Andrea González as replacement presidential candidate.
2023-08-13
Movimiento Construye nominated journalist Christian Zurita as replacement candidate with González as running mate.
2023-08-20
Ecuadorian general election held; Zurita/González ticket placed third.
2023-09-08
Seven additional suspects detained in police raids in Quito and Latacunga.
2023-10-06
Six suspects killed inside the Litoral Penitentiary in Guayaquil.
2023-10-07
Another suspect killed inside a Quito prison.
2024-02-27
Prosecutor revealed that Los Lobos leader Carlos Edwin Angulo Lara allegedly ordered the assassination from prison.
2024-07-12
A Quito court sentenced Carlos Angulo and Laura Castillo to 34 years' imprisonment for ordering the assassination; three accomplices sentenced to 12 years.
2025-09-03
Prosecutors charged former minister Jose Serrano, former lawmaker Ronny Aleaga, and businessman Xavier Jordan as alleged intellectual authors of the assassination.
2025-11
Prosecution witness Marcelo Lazo testified that drug trafficker Leandro Norero ordered the assassination.
2026-03
Suspected Los Lobos leader Ángel Esteban Aguilar Morales, alias 'Lobo Menor,' arrested in Mexico and extradited to Colombia.
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People
Jose Serrano
CHARGEDFormer government minister charged in September 2025 as an alleged 'intellectual author' of the assassination.
Xavier Jordan
CHARGEDBusinessman charged in September 2025 as an alleged 'intellectual author' of the assassination.
Laura Dayanara Castillo Velin
CONVICTEDLos Lobos gang leader convicted and sentenced to 34 years' imprisonment for providing weapons, transport and logistics for the assassination.
Ángel Esteban Aguilar Morales
CHARGEDSuspected Los Lobos leader ('Lobo Menor') accused of logistical and operational involvement in the assassination; arrested in Mexico and extradited to Colombia in March 2026.
Carlos Edwin Angulo Lara
CONVICTEDLos Lobos gang leader ('Invisible'), convicted and sentenced to 34 years' imprisonment for ordering the assassination from prison.
Diana Salazar Méndez
LAW ENFORCEMENTAttorney General of Ecuador involved in the investigation; attended the Security Cabinet meeting following the assassination.
Ronny Aleaga
CHARGEDFormer lawmaker charged in September 2025 as an alleged 'intellectual author' of the assassination.
Juan Zapata Silva
LAW ENFORCEMENTInterior Minister who announced detainees' names at a press conference following the assassination.
Fernando Villavicencio
VICTIMEcuadorian presidential candidate and former National Assembly member, shot and killed leaving a campaign rally on 9 August 2023.
Johan David Castillo López
CHARGEDSuspected gunman/assailant who died in a shootout at the scene of the assassination; identified by police as a Colombian hitman.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Archival records
portrait victim
Fernando Villavicencio 2023
Credit: Asamblea Nacional del Ecuador from QUito, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source
Places
Common questions
- What happened to the victim?
- Presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was shot dead leaving a campaign rally in Quito, Ecuador, on 9 August 2023, eleven days before the general election. Gang leaders and accomplices have since been convicted, with further prosecutions of alleged "intellectual authors" ongoing.
- Where did the crime happen?
- Quito, Ecuador.
- Who was convicted?
- Laura Dayanara Castillo Velin (Los Lobos gang leader convicted and sentenced to 34 years' imprisonment for providing weapons, transport and logistics for the assassination.) and Carlos Edwin Angulo Lara (Los Lobos gang leader ('Invisible'), convicted and sentenced to 34 years' imprisonment for ordering the assassination from prison.).
- What is the current status of the case?
- Status: ongoing. Last verified July 2026.
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Sources
- ENCYCLOPEDICAssassination of Fernando VillavicencioWikipedia · 2026-07-07
- PRESSContemporaneous coverage — BBC NewsBBC News · 2026-07-07
- PRESSContemporaneous coverage — ReutersReuters · 2026-07-07
Record history
- First published
- JUL 07, 2026
- Last verified against sources
- JUL 07, 2026