Judge shot dead while heading to gym without her bodyguards
Lady Pachar was shot that day while traveling by car to a gym in the southwestern city of Machala.
Updated on: May 13, 2026 / 7:16 AM EDT / CBS/AFP
An Ecuadoran judge was fatally shot during a state of emergency that had been declared to combat organized crime, Ecuador's judicial oversight body said.
It called the killing of Lady Pachar a "serious attack against justice and the rule of law in Ecuador" in a statement released Monday.
Her two bodyguards were not with her when the incident took place, according to police in Machala, which is the capital of El Oro province bordering Peru.
A police source told AFP on Tuesday that the judge had received threats and was killed in retaliation for the release of gang members.