The Criminal Appeals Chamber of Juliaca affirmed the sentence to 35 years of Erusbel Jhonatan Apaza Uturunco, a former police officer accused of murdering the second PNP non-commissioned officer José Luis Soncco Quispe and the burning of a patrol car during the protests against the former president Dina Boluarte on January 9, 2023, in Puno.
This measure, ratified yesterday, was even explicitly welcomed by the command of the National Police of Peru through their official account X. “When a police officer is attacked, the State is attacked,” they titled their statement.
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Then they confirmed that, through final ruling No. 08-2026, the Juliaca Criminal Appeals Chamber confirmed 35 years of effective prison “against the person responsible for the events that ended the life of our hero, S2 PNP José Luis Soncco Quispe.”
They added that “this ruling not only punishes a crime, but also creates a historical precedent in the defense of authority, confirming responsibility for the crimes of aggravated riots and theft or snatching of a firearm.”
Thus, the payment of S/180,000 as civil reparation in favor of the heirs of the police force and S/25,000 in favor of the State.
As is known, former officer Erusbel Apaza, who participated in the crime of his colleague during the protests in Juliaca, where 17 civilians also died, was found guilty of the crimes of aggravated riot and theft of weaponsin the context of crime.
With that decision the judges of the Supraprovincial Collegiate Criminal Court of Juliaca, Víctor Paredes Mestas, Richard Condori Chambi and Yessica Condori Chata, They denied the version initially provided by the then prime minister Alberto Otárola, who stated that the agent was burned to death at the hands of the protesters.
It is now known that the non-commissioned officer José Luis Soncco patrolled the Tambopata urbanization with the agent Ronal Villasante Touch when they were surrounded by a group of people. Both were forced to get out of the vehicle and attacked with sticks and stones.
Soncco died after receiving a strong blow to the head with a stone Then the attackers They sprayed fuel on the patrol carthey set it on fire and let the fire consume it. 73% of his body had third degree burns. Villasante managed to escape the attack alive.
During the raid on Apaza Uturunco’s home, they found a Pietro Beretta pistol and AKM rifle casingsweapons stolen from the attacked police officers, and 23,800 dollars in cash.
The judicial authorities declared Erusbel Jhonatan Apaza Uturunco guilty of the crime of aggravated riot and theft of weapons. The magistrates concluded that the actions carried out by Apaza gave rise to both crimes.
They also determined that Apaza participated in the mob that attacked the police officers, which led to the death of non-commissioned officer José Luis Soncco. In addition, he snatched the firearm of non-commissioned officer Villasante Toque and the stocked cacerina of agent Soncco Quispe.
For these events, he was sentenced to 35 years in effective prison, which he has been serving since March 23, 2023 in the Juliaca former La Capilla prison. The sentence will be served in 2058.
