One of the men who murdered the sister of former President Cesar Gaviria has been sentenced to 55 years in prison, El Espectador reported Wednesday.
Alexander Ortiz Tierradentro was given one of the longest sentences possible in Colombia and a fine equivalent to 900 monthly minimum wages ($259,200) by a judge in Buga in the department of Valle del Cauca.
Liliana Gaviria Trujillo, the sister of Cesar, was shot and killed along with her bodyguard Jose Fernando Velez Rengifo during an attempted abduction on April 27, 2006 near the country retreat of Bellavista in the central department of Risaralda.
According to investigations, Ortiz Tierradentro was a member of the “Teofilo Forero Column” of the FARC at the time. Nine people have already been convicted for their parts in the crime.
Ortiz Tierradentro’s lawyer is appealing the ruling which will now be reviewed by the Criminal Division of the Superior Court in Pereira.