murder

Jurors in a high-profile Australian murder trial have been taken to the remote Queensland beach where the victim was found.

Four marines were initially charged with murder, but they gave conflicting accounts of the events, and over time US military prosecutors dropped charges against three of them, granting them immunity from further legal action.

President Noboa said Chavarria had faked his own death, changed his identity and hidden in Europe while continuing to control criminal operations in Ecuador, including illegal mining and ordering murders.

Still, in the first half of this year, there were 4,619 murders -- the "highest in recent history," according to Ecuador's Organized Crime Observatory.

Sheinbaum, in power since October 2024, maintained approval ratings above 70 percent in her first year in office but faced growing criticism of her security policies in the wake of several high-profile murders.