Adjudicated / partial · prosecutor assassination · 2022–present
The Assassination of Marcelo Pecci
Courts convicted the operational network; Paraguay and Colombia continue investigating who commissioned the killing.
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Paraguay True Crime
This evidence-led archive covers the unresolved murders of journalists Santiago Leguizamón and Salvador Medina, the Curuguaty killings, the assassination of prosecutor Marcelo Pecci, the Ycuá Bolaños fire and the kidnapping and murder of Cecilia Cubas. Convictions, acquittals, international responsibility and unresolved criminal guilt remain distinct.
8 verified files
6 adjudicated or partial
2 unresolved files
Solved / adjudicated
Multiple participants were convicted. The Supreme Court’s Criminal Chamber left ten principal convictions final in 2010, and later proceedings produced additional sentences.
Solved / adjudicated · mass-casualty fire · 2004–2009
The Ycuá Bolaños Supermarket Fire and the Final Convictions
The fire killed 327 people. Four defendants received prison sentences, and Paraguay's Supreme Court restored the principal convictions in 2009.
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Adjudicated / partial · political assassination · 1999–2025
The Assassination of Luis María Argaña
Courts convicted four participants in the street ambush that killed Paraguay’s vice president and his bodyguard. No final judgment established who commissioned the attack.
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Solved / adjudicated · kidnapping and murder · 2004–2024
The Kidnapping and Murder of Cecilia Cubas
Cecilia was kidnapped in September 2004 and found dead in February 2005. Courts convicted multiple participants across successive proceedings.
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Adjudicated · journalist murder · 2014–2018
The Murders of Pablo Medina and Antonia Almada
Journalist Pablo Medina and Antonia Almada were killed in Canindeyú. A court convicted former mayor Vilmar Acosta of ordering the murders.
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Adjudicated / partial · journalist murder · 2001–2017
The Murder of Salvador Medina Velázquez
Radio journalist Salvador Medina was murdered after reporting on alleged timber smuggling. The gunman was convicted; the organizers were not judicially identified.
Read the sourced case file →Unsolved cases
The Curuguaty prosecution ended in acquittals without a complete account of all seventeen deaths; Santiago Leguizamón's murder produced an international judgment but no individual criminal conviction.
Unresolved · mass killing · 2012–2018
The Curuguaty Killings and the Annulled Prosecutions
Eleven campesinos and six police officers died. All eleven campesino convictions were overturned, and responsibility for every death remains unadjudicated.
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Unsolved · journalist murder · 1991–present
The Murder of Santiago Leguizamón and the Unfinished Investigation
No killer was convicted. The Inter-American Court later found Paraguay responsible for protection and investigative failures that sustained impunity.
Read the sourced case file →How this archive classifies the case
“Solved / adjudicated” rests on final criminal judgments against multiple participants, not on arrests or allegations. The label is deliberately narrower than saying every alleged participant or every disputed aspect of the case has been resolved.
Why distinguish convictions from acquittals?
The 2006 court convicted twelve of fifteen defendants but acquitted three because culpability had not been proved in that proceeding. The archive preserves that distinction rather than treating everyone charged as guilty.
Why mention successive proceedings?
The record did not end with a single verdict. The Supreme Court confirmed ten principal sentences in 2010; other proceedings produced further convictions, including the 2024 judgment against Lorenzo González Martínez after extradition.
Why symbolic artwork?
The national colors, skyline, memorial light, timeline and court files are clearly editorial. They do not depict Cecilia, any defendant, the place where she was found or physical evidence as documentary imagery.
Paraguay archive FAQ
When was Cecilia Cubas kidnapped?
She was kidnapped on 21 September 2004. Her body was found in the Mbocayaty neighborhood of Ñemby in February 2005.
How many people were convicted in the first major trial?
Twelve of fifteen defendants were convicted in 2006. Three were acquitted because the prosecution had not proved their culpability in that proceeding.
When did the principal convictions become final?
On 30 December 2010, the Supreme Court’s Criminal Chamber rejected cassation appeals and left ten principal convictions final; two five-year accomplice sentences had already become final without appeal.
Was there a recent conviction?
Yes. In December 2024, Lorenzo González Martínez received 23 years in prison plus a five-year security measure.
Will more Paraguay cases be added?
Yes, when a Paraguay case has reliable sources, a clear present status and enough verified material for a substantive, victim-aware file.
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