The Prosecutor’s Office and the Colombian Police continue to investigate what is behind the massacre of four people who appeared in the trunk of an armored Toyota truck on the north highway of Bogotá at 222nd Street.
The mayor Claudia López assures that, apparently, they were assassinated outside the capital and abandoned in the place. But both former police officer Juan Carlos Useche, one of the victims, and the identified Venezuelan, remained in the capital and more precisely in Sanadresito de San José.
The newspaper Time exclusively revealed the identity and background of Useche, who would be linked to the San José assassination office. This is stated in a police report that this newspaper has in its possession.
He would be the main objective of the men who committed the massacre, in which Leidy Alejandra Betancourt, Useche’s partner, also lost their lives; and another from his bodyguard: Leonardo Sanabria.
However, this newspaper investigated and established that the 29-year-old Venezuelan found in the truck, born in Puerto Cabello, also had a criminal record and was being prosecuted by the courts.
the true identity
In court records it appears identified like Eliyer José Perozo Zabala, with secondary education and in free union.
And there it is stated that he had already been captured in Bogotá, on August 17, 2020, for the crimes of illegal carrying of weapons, drug trafficking, prison escape and malicious personal injury.
He was taken to the Puente Aranda URI and the 19th municipal criminal judge with the function of controlling guarantees, in a concentrated hearing, legalized the capture.
The Venezuelan did not accept charges and his lawyer filed an appeal the same day. But the Eighth Circuit Criminal Court denied it on the 30th of that same month.
“It was a street brawl”
Time He spoke with his defense who stated that Perozo was the administrator of the Sanadresito de San José car wash and, two years ago, he was involved in a street fight with some friends, including one with the last name Moya, also Venezuelan.
Perozo had a weapon that he took out in the middle of a fight and that is why he was charged with illegal possession: «He was very helpful, people esteemed him. His son must be two years old and his family is in Venezuela».
The preliminary agreement
On October 23, 2020, the Venezuelan’s defense reached a pre-agreement with the Prosecutor’s Office that was approved by the 33rd Criminal Circuit Court with knowledge control in Bogotá.
Thanks to this judicial fee, Perozo was only convicted of manufacturing, trafficking, carrying or possessing firearms and the process was terminated due to personal injuries.
The sentence was only 54 months: 4 years and 6 months.
Five days later, he was given house arrest because he alleged that he was the head of the family and his wife, a Venezuelan, was pregnant. There it was taken into account that his friend Moya withdrew the complaint for personal injury.
But that case continued its course and on December 14, 2020, an indictment was issued in the 24th criminal court of the Circuit with functions of knowledge of Bogotá.
The pending hearing
The last action within that process was a hearing scheduled for September 2, 2022, for the formulation of the accusation for personal injuries.
Perozo’s attorney assures that she did not know what she was working on and that she did not charge her for the defense. In addition, she declared that she was surprised that the crimes of drug trafficking and prison escape were mentioned in the file.
Time He tried, without luck, to contact the relatives of the Venezuelan, who live in the town of Mártires.
The Grupo de Diarios América (GDA), to which it belongs The Nationalis a leading media network founded in 1991 that promotes democratic values, an independent press and freedom of expression in Latin America through quality journalism for our audiences.
