Paramilitary accused of the death of activist Maria del Pilar Hurtado was murdered in Córdoba

The death of the demobilized paramilitary and member of the Gulf Clan, Juan Junior Payares, alias 'Arm de mica ', was confirmed. According to the commander of the Cordoba Police, Colonel Gabriel Bonilla, the murder occurred in the early hours of March 27 in the municipality of Tierralta, Las Delicias.

According to authorities, the body without life was found in a hammock of a commercial establishment that sold liquor and was allegedly administered by the same 'Arm de mica'. The accounts seem to indicate that two armed men arrived, apparently due to a settling of accounts between illegal groups, fired seven shots at their humanity, and then fled the scene of the crime on a motorcycle.

Juan Junior Payares, alias 'Brazo de mica', is identified as one of those responsible for the murder of social leader María del Pilar Hurtado, who was fighting a process of restitution of land that was taken away due to the intervention of paramilitary groups.

Crime was a trend in Colombia because Maria's murder happened in front of one of her young underage children and a video recorded moments after the hit attack the heartbreaking cry of the impotent little boy as he saw how he lost his mother.

This was mentioned by the commander of the Cordoba Police, Colonel Gabriel Bonilla: “This person would have been part of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia and, later, would have been a member of the organized armed group Clan del Golfo. This person was captured on August 10, 2019, for the crimes of concert to commit crimes for the purpose of aggravated homicide for his alleged involvement in the homicide of the person, María del Pilar Hurtado, that occurred on June 21, 2019.”

But other facts highlighted by the Colonel was the way in which the demobilized paramilitary was able to access freedom: “In the framework of the process he was released due to the expiration of terms in the previous year, but he was still linked to the investigation. He would also have participated in other criminal acts in the department and, apparently, lost his life due to illegal reckoning within this criminal group.”

Among the crimes were part of the history of alias 'Arm de mica' are: concert to commit crime, homicide and trafficking, manufacture or carry of narcotic drugs. María Angelica Gómez, alias 'Yesenia or Paraca Loca', is captured for the crime of María del Pilar Hurtado, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison.

The process led by María del Pilar Hurtado consisted of reclaiming housing for families who had invaded a private lot, owned by the father of the mayor of Tierralta at the time, in the same way he claimed land stripped by paramilitaries from the peasants of southern Córdoba.

HOW DID THE EVENTS HAPPEN?

The news of the death of María del Pilar Hurtado generated enormous rejection from the whole country, as the murder 'in cold blood' had serious complaints from human rights organizations internationally, after a heartbreaking video was released in which her 8-year-old son was crying heartbroken next to his mother's body minutes after being gunned down by two men who escaped on motorcycles.

The victim had four children and two of them witnessed the moment when the bullets ended his mother's life. It was said at the time that Maria del Pilar was about to start her work when she was attacked leaving her home in Tierralta, Córdoba.

However, it was known that the woman was one of the people threatened through a pamphlet that circulated in the streets of that municipality days before her death.

Witnesses said that the subsequent scenes were heartbreaking, as her little son came up to try to help her, but when they saw that she did not respond, her heartbroken cry took over the environment, while she ran in terror and asked the neighbors for help.

KEEP READING: