For a month, rumors swirled that Colombian rice industry businessman Gustavo Aponte Fonnegra had been killed by mistake on February 11 as he left a Bodytech gym on Calle 81 with Carrera Séptima in Bogotá, accompanied by his bodyguard. Now, six months later, an exclusive investigation by El Tiempo’s investigative unit confirms it: prosecutors say Aponte was gunned down after being confused with a powerful businessman from the gold industry who happened to be at the same location that day.
The breakthrough came after what reporters describe as a “double crime.” Last Wednesday, authorities arrested a member of the criminal gang known as “Los Gladiadores” in Villavicencio, a city south of Bogotá, in connection with the killing. The gunman who actually pulled the trigger remains at large. But investigators managed to recover a cellphone that had been in the hands of another gang member—evidence that reportedly includes photographs and chat messages tying the group to the crime.
According to the report, that gang member was later killed as well, and it was a relative who eventually handed over the phone to authorities, providing the digital trail that helped identify the suspects. The case underscores how a botched hit, meant for someone else entirely, ended a prominent businessman’s life in broad daylight.
Read the full exclusive report at El Tiempo for more details on the investigation.
Image: Bambizoe from Dresden, Germany
This image was originally posted to Flickr by Bambizoe at https://flickr.com/photos/30533963@N02/49131913808 (archive). It was reviewed on 5 December 2019 by FlickreviewR 2 and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-zero.
5 December 2019.