The murder of a 12-year-old girl shakes Colombia and revives the debate on life imprisonment

The confessed murderer of this atrocious crime is Brayan Campo, a 32-year-old man who worked at a veterinary clinic where, in addition to caring for animals, he sold food for dogs, cats, birds, rabbits and fish. Campo was arrested after becoming the main suspect, and, as EFE revealed, in his statement accepted the charges of aggravated feminicide, aggravated simple kidnapping, aggravated attempted simple kidnapping and concealment, alteration and destruction of evidentiary material. “The defendant freely and voluntarily accepted the charges against him, and must comply with a security measure in a prison,” the Prosecutor’s Office reported in a statement.

Sofía’s disappearance triggered a intense search which involved more than 100 members of the Police and other specialized bodies, including the Sijín, the Gaula and the Prosecutor’s Office, who deployed drones and even used an Interpol alert. Community collaboration and witness statements They were instrumental in finding the culprit. «We started with two hypotheses. The first information we learned was the presence of a white vehicle, and the second was that of a person who had also tried to kidnap a minor. The investigation began there,” explained Colonel Carlos Germán Oviedo, commander of the Cali Metropolitan Police.

He body from Sofia it was discovered last Thursday19 days after his disappearance. After the discovery, the girl’s remains were transferred to the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, where her identity was confirmed through a DNA test matched with samples from his mother. “The Institute of Legal Medicine confirmed the presence of blood, which was compared with the DNA of the minor’s mother, which confirmed 99% that it is the minor’s DNA,” the authorities reported.

According to the details provided by the Prosecutor’s Office, revealed by EFE, the accused He convinced the girl to enter the establishment with the pretext that he would give her a necklace. «Subsequently, the man lowered the fence of the building and hit her on the head, causing her death. Hours later, he wrapped the body in sacks and transported it on a motorcycle to sugarcane fields located on the road that leads from Candelaria to Florida (Valle del Cauca),” the agency said.

The background of the accused

Sofia’s crime has shaken the entire country, not only because of its brutalitybut also because The murderer already had a record of raping another minor. in 2018. On that occasion, Campo was released due to the expiration of the terms of the judicial process. Furthermore, it was learned that, minutes before murdering Sofía, The accused tried to kidnap another 12-year-old girlwho managed to escape from the scene. «He told her to come in that he was going to give her some dog collars, the girl came in, and when she came in he was going to close the door blind and the girl managed to get out. She told us, and when we saw that Sofía did not appear, we called those from Sijín and filed a complaint. “Why didn’t the police act quickly knowing that we had already given them clues?” questioned a cousin of the girl who managed to escape.

For his part, the Sofia’s fatherCristian Delgado, has shared his pain in different Colombian media. In an interview with ‘W Radio’, he expressed his surprise at what happened. “Really surprised, we have no enemies here, we never had problems with anyone,” he said, remembering the harrowing days of searching in which, even, spoke with the attacker’s wifewhich was arrested and later released due to lack of evidence. «He never said anything, he always said that he didn’t know anything, that he hadn’t seen her. Honestly terrified when they said it was from here in the community,” he added.

Life sentence for murderers of children and adolescents?

Campo’s arrest and his confession have rekindled the debate about the life sentence for murderers of children and adolescents in Colombia. In that sense, the President Gustavo Petro He expressed his indignation on his X account: «The girls and boys of our country do not deserve a message of solidarity from this social network when their rights are not respected or protected. Children deserve that their dreams do not continue to endeither. “We cannot allow more news like Sofia’s.”

For its part, the governor of Valle del Cauca, Dilian Francisca Toro, also showed her support for the cause. «Anyone who is capable of attacking, mistreating, raping or murdering a child is a monster who must be excluded from society.. Given the cowardly murder of little Sofía Delgado and so many other minors in our country, We should think about establishing life sentences for monsters who murder children. It is a matter of principle: a child murderer cannot be treated differently. In this case, the authorities are already beginning to find those responsible, now, I ask that the full weight of the law fall on themThere can be no impunity, there must be punishment. To Sofía’s parents and family, my deepest condolences, we will do everything in our power to punish those responsible,” he declared on his X account.

This tragic case has opened a deep wound in Colombian society. So much so that, after learning of the couple’s capture, the community of Villagorgona tried to burn down the house where they lived and They vandalized the veterinary clinictoa fact that caused members of the anti-riot group of the Dialogue and Maintenance of Order Unit to intervene.