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Colombian Nationals Charged in DEA Agent Slaying
Seven Colombian nationals were extradited to the United States to face charges in connection with the kidnapping and murder of DEA Special Agent James Terry Watson.
The suspects, including Gerardo Figueroa Sepulveda, 39; Omar Fabian Valdes Gualtero, 27; Edgar Javier Bello Murillo, 27; Hector Leonardo Lopez, 34; Julio Estiven Gracia Ramirez, 31; Andrés Alvaro Oviedo-Garcia, 22, and Wilson Daniel Peralta-Bocachica, 31, were indicted by a grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia on July 18, 2013, and arrived in the United States on July 1, 2014.
According to the indictment, the defendants were part of a kidnapping and robbery conspiracy that utilized taxi cabs in Bogotá, Colombia, to lure victims into a position where they could be attacked and robbed.
On June 20, 2013, Special Agent Watson entered a taxi cab operated by one of the defendants and was allegedly attacked by two other defendants – one who stunned Special Agent Watson with a stun gun and another who stabbed Special Agent Watson with a knife, resulting in his death.
“With the extradition of these suspects, we are one step closer to ensuring that justice is served for the kidnapping and murder of an American hero,” said Attorney General Eric H. Holder.
A detention hearing is scheduled for July 9, 2014, before United States Magistrate Judge Ivan D. Davis.
The case was investigated by the FBI, DEA and DSS, including the Office of Special Investigations and the Regional Security Office at Embassy Bogotá, in close cooperation with Colombian authorities, and with assistance from INTERPOL and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
The case is being prosecuted by Special Counsel Stacy Luck of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section.
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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