A Colombian man was sentenced to 40 years in prison after two priests hired him to carry out their own murders in 2011.
According to the prosecution, Gildardo Alberto Peñate, alias “Gavilan,” was involved in the murder of two priests, Richard Armando Piffano and Rafael Reatiga Rojas in Bogota, allegedly at the pair’s behest.
Investigators determined that the two men paid $8,500 to Gavilan and an accomplice known only by his alias, “Gallego,” to kill them after Reatiga was diagnosed with AIDS. One witness claimed to have seen Gallego together with one of the priests at a convenience store shortly before the murders, said newspaper El Espectador.
Gavilan confessed to charges of murder and the production, trafficking and bearing of arms.
Gavilan’s lawyer said that the confession led to a reduction in his sentence, but did not elaborate on the exact length of the reduction, according to Colombian newspaper El Colombiano.
The two priests had on several occasions “demonstrated their will to die,” said Gallego during police interrogations.
Authorities revealed that the two priests accompanied Gavilan and Gallego to a remote location, after which the assassins shot them in the head and left.