[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 109 (Thursday, June 27, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4636-S4637]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    SENATE RESOLUTION 269--COMMEMORATING THE LIFE OF LUIS ALEJANDRO 
     ``ALEX'' VILLAMAYOR AND CALLING FOR JUSTICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY

  Mr. CARDIN (for himself and Mr. Van Hollen) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 269

       Whereas United States citizen Luis Alejandro ``Alex'' 
     Villamayor was born on July 3, 1998, to parents Puning Luk 
     Villamayor and Luis Felipe Villamayor in Rockville, Maryland;
       Whereas Alex Villamayor is remembered by his family as a 
     smart, loving, and compassionate young man with a good sense 
     of humor, who was committed to his parents, siblings, and 
     friends;
       Whereas Alex Villamayor moved with his family at the age of 
     six to Paraguay, where he was a devoted member of his church 
     and always had attention for those less fortunate;
       Whereas Alex Villamayor graduated with honors from 
     Paraguay's Pan American International School (PAIS) and was 
     accepted to attend Montgomery College in Maryland in the Fall 
     of 2015;
       Whereas Alex Villamayor aspired to study business 
     management and return to Paraguay to pursue a career that 
     would help and support the Paraguayan people;
       Whereas Alex Villamayor was murdered on June 27, 2015, in 
     the City of Encarnacion in Paraguay;
       Whereas Alex Villamayor's death was wrongfully ruled a 
     suicide by Paraguayan authorities before a comprehensive 
     investigation was carried out;
       Whereas, in the initial weeks of the investigation, 
     Paraguayan authorities failed to collect blood and DNA 
     samples from individuals present at the scene of the crime, 
     conduct gunshot residue analysis on individuals present at 
     the crime scene, and collect cellular phone records and data 
     from individuals present at the crime scene;
       Whereas, in August 2015, Alex Villamayor's body was exhumed 
     for additional forensic examination, which found that he had 
     been raped and physically assaulted prior to his death;
       Whereas, in August 2015, Paraguayan prosecutor Olga Wilma 
     Araujo Ayala was suspended from the investigation into and 
     legal case related to Alex Villamayor's death due to 
     mismanagement of the case;
       Whereas, in September 2015, Mathias Wilbs, an employee at 
     the property where Alex Villamayor was murdered, admitted in 
     a televised public interview that he had removed the murder 
     weapon from the crime scene and placed another firearm in 
     Alex Villamayor's hand;
       Whereas, in September 2015, Alex Villamayor's death was 
     ruled a homicide and Rene Hofstetter and Mathias Wilbs were 
     charged with crimes in relation to Alex Villamayor's murder;
       Whereas, in October 2015, Paraguayan authorities opened a 
     formal investigation of Alain Jacks Diaz de Bedoya for his 
     role in Alex Villamayor's murder;
       Whereas, in November 2016, Paraguayan authorities dropped 
     the charges against Alain Jacks Diaz de Bedoya related to 
     Alex Villamayor's murder;
       Whereas Members of the United States Congress have urged 
     the Government of Paraguay to invite the United States 
     Federal Bureau of Investigation to provide technical 
     assistance for the investigation into Alex Villamayor's death 
     and the United States Embassy in Asuncion, Paraguay has 
     offered such assistance to Paraguayan authorities;
       Whereas, to date, the Government of Paraguay has not 
     invited the Federal Bureau of Investigation to provide 
     technical assistance for the investigation into Alex 
     Villamayor's death;
       Whereas the United States embassy in Asuncion, Paraguay, 
     and the Department of State have not issued any formal public 
     statements about Alex Villamayor's murder and the many 
     irregularities in the investigation into his death;
       Whereas, in February 2017, outgoing United States 
     Ambassador Leslie A. Basset told media outlets that Alex 
     Villamayor ``died under dark circumstances'' and that ``the 
     investigation and the handling of this case has been 
     worrisome''; and
       Whereas, in April 2018, Rene Hofstetter was convicted of 
     homicide and sentenced to 12 years in prison and Mathias 
     Wilbs was sentenced to two years and 10 months on obstruction 
     of justice;
       Whereas, in spite of these convictions, media outlets 
     report that others implicated in the murder and cover-up have 
     not been charged; and
       Whereas, members of Alex Villamayor's immediate family 
     continue to face grave physical threats in Paraguay for their 
     pursuit of justice: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) commemorates the life of United States citizen Luis 
     Alejandro ``Alex'' Villamayor

[[Page S4637]]

     and offers condolences to his family and friends;
       (2) expresses profound concern about the delays in 
     achieving justice in Alex Villamayor's case;
       (3) urges Paraguayan authorities to invite the Federal 
     Bureau of Investigation to provide technical assistance to 
     properly investigate the circumstances surrounding Alex 
     Villamayor's death and assess whether other individuals may 
     have had a role in the crime or cover-up;
       (4) urges the Government of Paraguay to provide for the 
     physical security of Alex Villamayor's family and others 
     seeking justice in this case and to properly investigate 
     recent threats against their lives, charging those implicated 
     in such threats;
       (5) calls on the Department of State to prioritize justice 
     for Alex Villamayor in its diplomatic engagement with the 
     Government of Paraguay; and
       (6) calls on the Department of State to review its 
     procedures for providing services to the families of United 
     States citizens slain or assaulted abroad.
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today I rise to pay tribute to an 
exemplary young Marylander whose life was tragically cut short four 
years ago today. Senator Van Hollen and I have just introduced a 
resolution which pays tribute to Alex's life, calls for justice and 
accountability in his murder, and procedures to ensure other families 
do not suffer this same tragedy.
  Luis Alejandro ``Alex'' Villamayor was born on July 3, 1998, to 
parents Puning Luk Villamayor and Luis Felipe Villamayor in Rockville, 
Maryland. Those who knew him remember him as a smart, loving, and 
compassionate young man with a good sense of humor. Alex was committed 
to his parents, siblings, and friends. He was a devoted member of his 
church and always sought to help those less fortunate.
  Alex Villamayor moved with his family to Paraguay at the age of six. 
He attended high school there and graduated with honors from the Pan 
American International School and was accepted to attend Montgomery 
College in Maryland in the fall of 2015 to study business management. 
He ultimately planned to pursue a career to help and support the 
Paraguayan people, but was tragically murdered on June 27, 2015, in the 
city of Encarnacion.
  Alex's death was wrongfully ruled a suicide by Paraguayan 
authorities, who had not properly investigated the death at that point 
and failed to collect blood and DNA samples from individuals present at 
the scene of the crime, conduct gunshot residue analysis, or collect 
cellular phone records and data from individuals present at the crime 
scene.
  After Alex's family noted gross inconsistencies in accounts of his 
death, Alex's body was exhumed for additional forensic examination, 
which found that he had been raped and physically assaulted prior to 
his death. Finally, in September 2015, Alex's death was ruled a 
homicide. Rene Hofstetter and Mathias Wilbs were charged with crimes in 
relation to Alex Villamayor's murder and Paraguayan authorities opened 
a formal investigation of Alain Jacks Diaz de Bedoya, who was also 
present at the time of Alex's death. While the charges against, Mr. 
Diaz de Bedoya were eventually dropped, in April 2018 Rene Hofstetter 
was convicted of homicide and sentenced to 12 years in prison and 
Mathias Wilbs was sentenced to two years and 10 months on obstruction 
of justice.
  In spite of these convictions, I remain concerned about the handling 
of this case. In spite of an offer to assist, the Government of 
Paraguay never allowed the FBI to provide technical assistance for the 
investigation. Our Ambassador at the time told media outlets that ``the 
investigation and the handling of this case has been worrisome.'' Of 
even greater concern, members of Alex's immediate family continue to 
face grave physical threats in Paraguay for their pursuit of justice.
  Senators Van Hollen and I continue to offer our deepest condolences 
to the Villamayor family and, through this resolution, call on 
Paraguayan authorities to finally allow the FBI to assist in this case 
and provide the necessary protections to Alex's family. We similarly 
ask the Department of State to prioritize justice for Alex Villamayor 
in its diplomatic engagement with the Government of Paraguay and to 
review its procedures for providing services to the families of United 
States citizens slain or assaulted abroad.
  On this sad anniversary, we remain committed to honoring the life of 
Alex Villamayor and working to ensure this tragic story does not repeat 
itself.

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