JUSTICE · PERU
Key Facts
- —The country Peru, an Andean country of about 34 million people, has had a free-trade agreement with the United States since 2009. Áncash is a mountain region north of Lima.
- —Why it matters Susy Aponte Polo, a journalist and candidate for regional governor, was shot dead while campaigning in Caraz on 19 September. Prosecutors treat it as a contract killing.
- —Why now The suspects’ 15-day preliminary detention was due to expire on Sunday 4 October, the day Peru held regional and municipal elections. The court ruled that night.
- —What happened Judge Miguel Dueñas Arce of the Huaylas-Caraz preparatory investigation court ordered 18 months of pretrial detention for two Venezuelan suspects late on 4 October, Peru’s judiciary announced on X.
- —The numbers Prosecutors say the gunman was promised S/15,000 (about US$4,400). A 72-year-old woman hit in the attack died 12 days later, according to the charges reported by Infobae.
- —What it means for you The case tests whether Peru can trace who orders attacks on candidates and journalists. Pretrial detention is a precautionary measure, not a conviction.
- —Still open No authority has named who ordered the killing or established a motive. Prosecutors say three other people helped track the victim before the attack.
A judge in Peru’s Áncash region has ordered two suspects in the Susy Polo killing held for 18 months while prosecutors investigate. The ruling on Sunday 4 October covers the alleged gunman and the alleged financier, both Venezuelan nationals.
For foreign readers, it tests whether Peru, a US free-trade partner, can find who orders attacks on candidates and journalists. Susy Aponte Polo, a journalist and candidate for governor of Áncash, was shot dead at the market in Caraz on 19 September.
Her killing shadowed the campaign for Peru’s regional and municipal elections, held on the day of the ruling. She was known across the region as “China Polo”. The attack and the first arrests are covered in Peru Election 2026: Candidate and Journalist Susy Aponte Polo Shot Dead.
What the Judge Decided
Peru’s judiciary, the Poder Judicial, announced the ruling on its official X account. Judge Miguel Dueñas Arce, of the Huaylas-Caraz preparatory investigation court, granted the prosecution’s request on Sunday 4 October.
He ruled after a long virtual hearing, RPP and Huaraz Noticias reported. He found a high risk that the suspects would flee or obstruct the investigation.
The order covers Luis Iván Obispo Díaz, named by prosecutors as the gunman, and Ronald José Toro Ardila, the alleged financier. Both are Venezuelan nationals, RPP reported.
Their 15-day preliminary detention had been due to run out that same day. The hearing, broadcast by the judiciary’s channel Justicia TV, took place while Peruvians were voting.
The two men are to be moved to the prison in Huaraz, the regional capital, Huaraz Noticias reported. Pretrial detention is a precautionary measure and not a finding of guilt.
Prosecutors had set eight months for the preparatory investigation, according to Diario El Pueblo. The detention order is a separate measure and runs for 18 months.
The Case Prosecutors Set Out
Prosecutor Raúl Godos Sedán, of the Second Provincial Criminal Prosecutor’s Office of Huaylas, presented the case. He said Obispo Díaz tested positive in an atomic absorption test, which detects gunshot residue, RPP reported.
According to the prosecutor, the gunman approached Aponte Polo at the market and fired four shots with a semi-automatic pistol. One struck her head and killed her instantly, he said.
Obispo Díaz is accused of a contract killing, known in Peru as sicariato, for a promised S/15,000 (about US$4,400), Infobae reported. He also faces attempted aggravated homicide over a shot fired at a motorcyclist during his escape.
He is further accused of serious injury followed by death. A 72-year-old woman hit by gunfire in the attack died 12 days later, according to the charges described by Infobae.
A relative on her security detail was wounded in an exchange of fire with the fleeing gunman, the prosecutor said. Obispo Díaz was himself hit in the jaw, Infobae reported.
Prosecutors accuse Toro Ardila of acting as a primary accomplice in the contract killing. Prosecutors say transfers from his bank account paid for transport to Caraz, three days of lodging for four people and a phone.
That phone was used to coordinate the attack, according to the prosecution. Toro Ardila was arrested in Lima after investigators traced the hostel payment to an account in his name, Infobae reported.
The prosecutor also said Obispo Díaz checked into a Caraz hostel on 16 September with three other Venezuelan nationals. Prosecutors believe the two men and one woman helped follow the victim and support the gunman.
What the Suspects Say
Obispo Díaz confirmed his identity at the start of the hearing and accepted that he had carried out the killing, Infobae reported. He spoke with difficulty because of the jaw wound.
Toro Ardila denies financing the attack. He says the payments appear in his name because he lent his accounts to his half-sister, Infobae reported.
In an earlier statement, the confessed gunman said a contact told him the job was wanted by someone known as “Pure”. He said he does not know who that person is, Infobae reported.
His earlier account to police is covered in Peru Hitman Says He Was Promised US$4,000 for Killing. None of the claims in his statements has been tested at trial.
On the evidence side, the case has moved quickly. The alleged gunman was caught near the scene, and the alleged financier was traced through his payment records.
What It Means for You
For travellers, Caraz and Huaraz are gateways to the Cordillera Blanca, a trekking and climbing region popular with foreign visitors. Prosecutors describe a targeted contract killing of a candidate, not an attack aimed at visitors.
For investors, Áncash hosts Antamina, one of Peru’s largest copper and zinc mines. Regional governments manage a share of mining tax revenue, which raises the stakes of local elections.
Both detained men are Venezuelan, in a country that hosts one of the largest Venezuelan communities abroad. The detention order is precautionary, not a conviction.
What Is Not Known
No authority has publicly named who ordered the Susy Polo killing or established a motive. Authorities are working to identify the masterminds, El Comercio reported.
On her Facebook programme, China Polo Dominical, she reported on alleged corruption in local government, prosecutors’ offices and the police, RPP said. Hours before her death, she announced new reports on local candidates and alleged police irregularities.
No authority has said whether that work is connected to the attack. Her candidacy and other possible disputes also remain open lines of inquiry.
The whereabouts of the three people prosecutors say travelled with the gunman have not been reported. It is also not known whether the two detained men will appeal the order.
More: Peru news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Who was Susy Aponte Polo?
A journalist and candidate for governor of Peru’s Áncash region, known as “China Polo”. She was shot dead while campaigning at the market in Caraz on 19 September 2026.
What did the court decide in the Susy Polo killing?
On 4 October 2026, a judge in Huaylas ordered 18 months of pretrial detention for the alleged gunman and the alleged financier. The order is not a conviction.
Has anyone been charged with ordering the killing?
No. Authorities are still working to identify who ordered the attack, Peruvian media report, and no mastermind has been publicly named.
Sources: Poder Judicial del Perú, official X post on the ruling, 5 October 2026; RPP, ruling of 4 October 2026; RPP, prosecutor at the hearing, 5 October 2026; Infobae, hearing and charges, 4 October 2026; El Comercio, 5 October 2026; Huaraz Noticias, 5 October 2026; Diario El Pueblo, 4 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief