The security forces captured last Saturday a 61 -year -old man, deported from Alexandría, Louisiana, USA, who had a current arrest warrant for being indicated in the case of the death of Monsignor Juan José Gerardi Conodera, which occurred on April 26, 1998, reported this Monday, April 28.
This is Rubén “M.”, 61, required by a court since July 2010.
The arrest was held on Saturday, April 26 at the Guatemalan Air Force Migration Offices, as detailed by the National Civil Police (PNC).
The apprehended is required by the alleged commission of the crimes of extrajudicial execution in the degree of complicity and false testimony.
The first statement hearing will be this Tuesday, April 29.
The crime
On April 26, 1998, the Catholic Church dressed in mourning: Monsignor Gerardi had been murdered inside the parish house of the San Sebastián Church, two days after having presented the Guatemalan report never again, recovery of historical memory (Rehmi).
The document denounced atrocities committed by the army during the internal armed conflict.
Several hypotheses about the fact emerged, such as that it had been a passionate or political crime, common crime, or that Balú, the dog of the priest Mario Orantes, had attacked it. Orantes lived in the parish house along with Gerardi.
The first two suspects were Orantes, who ordered to wash the crime scene and did not warn the authorities but hours later, and the employee of the private house, Margarita López, indicated by cover -up.
After the investigation, 17 people were indicated as suspicious: 12 military and five civilians.
Those guilty for Gerardi’s crime had different destinations.
On January 20, 2000, the military Byron Lima Estrada, Byron Lima Oliva (son of Lima Estrada) and the Obdulio Villanueva army specialist were captured, from whom a witness declared in the trial that he was arrested in the prison of Antigua Guatemala and that came out that day to commit the crime.
The Public Ministry (MP) pointed out the criminal participation of the military in Gerardi’s murder, but were not the only ones involved. The parish house in which Monsignor lived was frequented by Margarita López, the domestic employee, who was related at the beginning of the criminal process.