Youth massacre victims shot in head execution-style

The seven young victims  of the Cristóbal massacre on Friday.  were all shot in the head execution-style according to autopsies by the Institute of Forensic Medicine and Forensic Sciences (Imelcf)  The dead included two pairs of sisters who were high school students.

 The bodies were found on Saturday, July 18, in a bunker used by the notorious School of the Americas,  near the José Domingo Espinar residential complex in the township of Cristóbal, Colon.

They were part of a group of 13 who went for an afternoon swim in Lake Gatun. Six survivors are assisting the police with their investigations, including a crime scene reconstruction, following the path they took to the lake where they were reportedly robbed by two armed and hooded men. Theories seeking to establish a motive for the killings continue to circulate and include  “jealousy” over the switching of boyfriends.

One suspect reportedly identified from a photograph, has been arrested but his defense lawyer claims mistaken identity.

Theories of links to drug trafficking have been discounted. None of the group of 13 have criminal records or ties  to gangs,

Nine were from the province of Colón and four from Panama. One of the versions of the event indicates that those who were out of the water – about six – were able to escape and reach the Margarita police station. Apparently one of the attackers was known to one of the victims because he called him by name.

One version that indicates that the assassins asked who was from the area and that is why they would have released those who did not live nearby. Those killed were all from Valle Verde in Puerto Escondido.

The survivors are receiving assistance from experts of the Protection of Victims, and Witnesses Unit (UPAVIT) of the Public Ministry.

Among the victims were two minor sisters: one was 15 years old and the other was 16. Two older sisters were  21 and 18 years

One of the murdered boys, 17, was a Colombian national and had arrived in the country before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in March.