On February 27, 2021, the news of the presenter’s murder shook the country. Seven people involved have been identified, but not the mastermind.
- A year ago, on January 27, 2021, Ecuador was “paralyzed” by the announcement of the death of the television presenter Efrain Ruales.
- Ruales was 36 years old and while he was driving his vehicle he was intercepted by another from where he was shot.
- The Prosecutor’s Office opened the investigations into the murder of Ruales ex officio; The proceedings lasted more than five months, until reaching the preparatory stage for the trial.
- During that time, there was a change in the prosecutor, Víctor González, who was handling the case as he received death threats.
- Currently, the case has seven people processed, in stage of judgment. None, however, fulfilled the role of intellectual author; therefore, the causes for which Ruales was ordered to be killed are unknown.
- Among the defendants is Álvaro C., alias ‘Alvarito’, who would have shot and who, together with aliases Ñorqui and Casquete, They would be material authors of the act.
- in his version ‘Alvarito’ confessed that it was he who shot the presenter in Guayaquil and added that “they went overboard” with Ruales, since he was hired to “scare.”
- Currently the arrested They are serving preventive detention in the Quito and Latacunga prisons.
- Regarding the intellectual author, the defendants testified that alias ‘Marcellus’ He would be the man who paid “for giving Ruales a scare.”
- In 2021, the death of Ruales it was not the only one of a public figure. Two months after what happened, he was murdered. Harrison Salcedo and in October Olympic athlete Álex Quiñónez was murdered.
