
Audio By Carbonatix
Two gay Roman Catholic priests hired hitmen to kill themselves after one of them discovered he had Aids.Rafael Reatiga, 35, and Richard Piffano, 37, who had been close friends since training, were discovered shot dead in a car in Southern Bogota, Colombia, in January last year.
Authorities initially suspected robbery but this week prosecutor Ana Patricia Larrota said investigators had determined that it was a case of suicide by hitmen.Gonzalez said the two priests had originally planned to throw themselves off a cliff into a canyon north of Bogota but apparently lacked the nerve.She told the court Reatiga asked his parishioners to pray for him and gave the choirmaster a list of songs for his funeral shortly before the bodies were discovered.In addition to Aids, Reatiga had syphilis and witness testimony indicated he was a regular visitor to places frequented by gays in central Bogota.Three weeks before their deaths, Reatiga had transferred his possessions to his mother.Piffano withdrew about $3,700 from his bank account on the day of his death, Gonzalez said.Investigators said they located the alleged killers based on telephone numbers the priests had called from their cell phones in the days before their deaths.Authorities found the stolen cell phone of one of the priests on a gang member months after the killing.Some of the numbers ended up belonging to a criminal band involved in counterfeiting, fraud and arms trafficking, they said.It allegedly supplied the killers, including two who authorities say remain at large.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Tags:
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Latest Stories
-
Otumfuo introduces new Asantehemaa to Kumasi Traditional Council as chiefs pay homage
13 minutes -
Christian Council backs Mahama’s clean-up call, urges nationwide participation
34 minutes -
Vice-Chancellor unveils vision to transform UniMAC into Africa’s communication powerhouse
36 minutes -
Review first phase of Nkoko Nkitinkiti before rolling out second phase — Isaac Opoku urges gov’t
1 hour -
Assemblies of God Ghana rallies churches behind national clean-up after deadly floods
1 hour -
Palm Beach, Florida airport officially changes name to honor Trump
1 hour -
Woman accused of misappropriating GH₵156,445 in susu contributions granted bail
2 hours -
Forestry Commission seeks Nungua Traditional Council support to protect Sakumo Ramsar site
2 hours -
Sewua Hospital project under audit after overpayment was detected – Health Minister
2 hours -
Nkoko Nkitinkiti risks missing import reduction goal if implementation flaws persist — Poultry farmers
2 hours -
Lom Nuku Ahlijah supports Keta Municipal Assembly’s flood recovery efforts
2 hours -
Roads Minister slams Oti regional officials for failing to report contractors who abandon projects
2 hours -
Unemployed man jailed for stealing from patient’s relative at KATH, unlawfully possessing police uniform
2 hours -
DVLA to commission 5 new offices across Northern Ghana in July
2 hours -
Education Ministry condemns armed attack at Yendi school
2 hours