[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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