Four accused of kidnapping and murder of American comedian in Colombia

Three adults and a teenager have been arrested and charged with the kidnapping and murder of an Asian-American comedian and activist in Colombia last month.

The suspects in the death of Tou Ger Xiong were accused of kidnapping aggravated with extortion and aggravated homicide in the Medellín Section of the country, according to local newspaper El Colombiano.

Xiong, who went out to meet a woman he met on social media before her kidnapping on December 10, was the victim of a terrible trend in the South American country, where criminals lure people to meet in public before kidnap and hold them. for ransom.

The three adults charged with the disturbing crime have been identified as Sharit Gisela Mejía Martínez, Santiago Bustamante Londoño and Andrés Hincapié Obregón.

All three denied the charges at a recent hearing, the Public Ministry said in a statement.

A 17-year-old young man surrendered to the Medellín region Prosecutor’s Office after the crime, admitting to having participated in the events surrounding Xiong’s kidnapping and murder, according to local newspaper El Colombiano.

The teenager was transferred to a special detention center for minors.

Tou Ger Xiong, an Asian-American comedian, was kidnapped and murdered while visiting Colombia last month. Facebook / Tou Ger Xiong The comedian was murdered, his body being thrown into the La Corcovado ravine with more than a dozen stab wounds and blunt wounds. C.B.S.

The three adults were arrested on January 16 and charged with kidnapping aggravated by extortion and aggravated murder.

They have denied the charges.

Court proceedings this week revealed that investigators had seized several phones and a vehicle related to the case, according to the newspaper.

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Xiong, who lived in Minnesota and frequently flew to Colombia, had traveled to the South American country on Nov. 29, where he planned to spend the holiday season.

The woman Xiong was supposed to meet on Dec. 10 was part of a new group of friends he made during recent visits to the area, his brother, Eh Xiong, told The Post last month.

Tou Ger Xiong called the redhead his girl when they spent time together in Medellín, Colombia, in October. Tou Ger Xiong / Facebook Xiong, who lived in Minnesota and frequently flew to the South American country, had traveled to Colombia on November 29 where she planned to spend the Christmas season. Tou Ger Xiong / Facebook

On the night he was kidnapped, Xiong was reportedly held against his will inside an apartment in Robledo.

His captors had tied him up, stripped him of his credit cards, cell phone and wallet.

Xiong had made a phone call around 7 pm that night to another friend of his in Colombia saying that they were holding a gun on him and demanding a ransom of $2,000 (8 million Colombian pesos) for his release.

But even though Xiong’s family in the United States quickly made a payment of $3,140 to a woman’s account, the comedian was murdered and his body was dumped in the La Corcovado ravine with more than a dozen stab and blunt wounds. .

Tou Ger Xiong posted photographs with Colombian friends he had met on his frequent trips to the country. Facebook / Tou Ger Xiong

The woman Xiong spoke to online was arrested before the discovery of her body.

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Xiong linked his ancestry to the Hmong people, an indigenous group of East and Southeast Asia, and was valedictorian of Humboldt High School.

He was born in Laos in 1973, while his father worked for the CIA, before fleeing to a refugee camp in Thailand to escape the communist takeover of Laos in 1975.

The family eventually emigrated to St. Paul in 1992.

The comedian was born in Laos before fleeing to Thailand and then moving to St. Paul, MN. Tou Ger Xiong / Facebook

The comedian “would share his personal stories across the country to build cultural competency and address racial discrimination,” the Bush Foundation said in 2019, when Xiong was named a fellow there.

A three-day memorial service, customary in Hmong culture, is planned for the activist at the end of the month, beginning with a eulogy from his sister on January 27 and ending two days later with a private burial.

With post cables

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Source: vtt.edu.vn

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