Former Councilman Edilson Castro Castellanos Murdered by Motorcycle-Bound Hitmen in Northern Bogotá

Edilson Castro Castellanos, a 46-year-old former councilman of Maripí and prominent emerald businessman, was murdered in the north of Bogotá on Thursday, August 20th. The victim was traveling in a private Mercedes-Benz vehicle when he was intercepted by several men on motorcycles who were waiting for him in the Usaquén locality. The attackers fired multiple shots at Castro Castellanos, who died at the scene from his injuries. Authorities from the Police Judicial and the CTI of the Public Prosecutor's Office are currently investigating the motive behind the crime. While no official hypothesis has been confirmed, investigators are reviewing the victim's political career and his ties to the emerald sector in Boyacá. The victim was known to be close to the Rincón clan, a group of emerald merchants. Investigators are also examining whether this murder is part of a series of recent assassinations involving emerald merchants from the Boyacá region in the capital city. No arrests have been made yet as police work to identify the perpetrators and their escape route.

Sources

• El Espectador
  Asesinan en Usaquén a exconcejal y esmeraldero de Maripí, Boyacá
• El Tiempo
  El expediente por el que investigaban a esmeraldero asesinado en el norte de Bogotá: fue testigo de un homicidio
• Infobae
  Nuevos datos del asesinato de un esmeraldero en el norte de Bogotá: sicarios estaban esperando al exconcejal frente a su casa
• Blu Radio
  Asesinan a comerciante de 46 años en presunto caso de sicariato en la localidad de Usaquén
• Caracol Radio
  Otro esmeraldero de Boyacá fue asesinado en el norte de Bogotá