A man accused of murdering Paraguayan journalist Pablo Medina has been detained in southern Brazil.
Flavio Acosta Riveros, detained in the south Brazilian state of Paraná on Jan. 9, is the second person accused in the murder to be captured in Brazil.
Police found where he was living based on an anonymous tip and later confirmed he was wanted in connection with a murder in Paraguay, according to G1. The news site also quoted a police official who said Acosta Riveros is accused of trying to kill his wife and is a suspect in two other murders.
On Jan. 11, a prosecutor in Paraguay requested Acosta Riveros’ expulsion from Brazil, Ultima Hora reported. Officials said they wanted to avoid the more lengthy process of an extradition.
Medina, a correspondent for newspaper ABC Color, was murdered in the department of Canindeyú, Paraguay on the border with Brazil on Oct. 16, 2014. His assistant was also killed.
In an October 2015 report, the state accused former mayor Vilmar Acosta Marques of masterminding the murder and linked Wilson Acosta Marques and Flavio Acosta Riveros as perpetrators of the crime.
Acosta Riveros is the nephew of both Vilmar and Wilson Acosta Marques, according to ABC Color. The newspaper reported that the “Acosta Marques clan became famous for being the ‘owner’ of trafficking of marijuana and other drugs in the area of Canindeyú.”
In his reporting, Medina had linked Vilmar Acosta Marques to drug trafficking and homicides, ABC Color reported.
Acosta Marques was captured in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul in March 2015 and extradited to Paraguay the following November. His extradition was stalled because he claimed to be a Brazilian citizen and therefore could not be extradited.
Wilson Acosta Marques is still on the run, ABC Color reported.
On the first anniversary of Medina’s death, the journalists’ colleagues called for further investigation of the crime and punishment for the perpetrators.
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
