Paraguayan prosecutor murdered on honeymoon

(Reuters)

Marcelo Pecci, a Paraguayan prosecutor known for his work fighting organized crime, was killed Tuesday on Colombia’s tourist island of Baru, authorities in both countries said.

Pecci and his wife, Paraguayan journalist Claudia Aguilera, were on their honeymoon at a resort near the Caribbean city of Cartagena.

Shortly before Pecci’s death, the two announced via Instagram that they would soon be parents.

Aguilera told Paraguayan media the couple were approached by two men on a private beach attached to their hotel before her husband was shot dead. He didn’t receive any threats, she added.

Known for fighting drugs and money laundering

Pecci, 45, was known for his work on high-profile anti-money laundering and anti-narcotics cases, investigating the murder of a regional governor’s daughter last year and the case of Brazilian soccer player Ronaldinho, who was arrested in the 2020 attempt to enter Paraguay on a fake Paraguayan passport.

A delegation of Paraguayan police will arrive shortly to take part in the investigation, said Colombia’s national police chief, General Jorge Luis Vargas. “We have information that will help us identify those responsible for this unfortunate incident,” Vargas said.

Officials from the United States will also assist in the investigation, Vargas said. “The cowardly assassination of Prosecutor Marcelo Pecci in Colombia saddens the entire Paraguayan nation,” Paraguayan President Marcelo Abdo said on Twitter. “We condemn this tragic incident in the strongest possible terms and redouble our commitment to the fight against organized crime.”

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