US offers up to $5 million for information in murder of Paraguayan prosecutor

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US State Department said Thursday it is offering up to $5 million for information that leads to the arrest of those involved in the killing of a Paraguayan prosecutor in May.

"Paraguayan Prosecutor Marcelo Pecci was a well-respected prosecutor who successfully pursued many high-profile organized crime cases," the agency said in a statement.

Pecci and his wife, journalist Claudia Aguilera, were on their honeymoon at a hotel on the Baru peninsula on Colombia’s Caribbean coast on May 10 when two assassins arrived at the beach on a jet-ski and shot and killed the couple.

The statement said the purpose of the "reward offer is to seek information leading the arrest and/or conviction of any additional coconspirators, including those responsible for financing and ordering the assassination."

Colombian authorities, as part of an investigation, identified six coconspirators who were accused of carrying out the murder.

Colombian police said the murder was related to some high-profile cases Pecci had been involved with in Paraguay.

"The United States extends a profound thanks for the outstanding investigation by Colombian authorities, which led to the capture of five of the individuals who committed this ruthless assassination," the statement added.