Peruvian police have arrested a 17-year-old alleged to have killed journalist Julio Cesar Castillo in Viru, La Libertad department earlier this month, daily Peru. 21 reported.
The youth, whose alias is Deybi, was arrested over the weekend in the north coast town. “Various witnesses have identified [him] as the hit man who shot the journalist,” Police Colonel Carlos Celi said.
Deybi was arrested alongside his lawyer, Roberto Carranza. The two were on the way to the police station, according to Carranza.
“My client and I were in a vehicle because we were going to the station in [the district of] La Esperanza so he could turn himself in, a decision that he had made earlier,” said Carranza.
Authorities hope Deybi will provide information on who hired him to kill the radio journalist.
Castillo, 41, was killed on May 3 while eating lunch with friends. As the host of radio program Noticiero Ollantay, Castillo had reported on alleged corruption of local officials in the north coast area.
He had received death threats since March and investigators say he had also received a message threatening other journalists.
