Colonel Óscar Dávila, until recently head of the anticipated security office of the Colombian Presidency, was found dead last Friday, June 9, hours after having paid 50 million pesos (about 12,000 dollars) in advance of his legal defense. The 51-year-old policeman had been the center of attention for his participation in the theft of a briefcase with several thousand dollars from the house of the former chief of staff, Laura Sarabia.
The Prosecutor’s Office had been investigating Dávila for his role in the case. According to Miguel Ángel del Río, a lawyer close to Petrism who Dávila had asked to be his defense attorney, the cost of the defense was between 300 and 500 million pesos. Del Río had agreed to make a reduction due to the importance of the case. On June 2, the police officer had expressed his willingness to contribute to the investigation, in a letter presented on Monday, June 5, to the attorney general, Francisco Barbosa.
It is likely that Dávila took his own life, as suggested by Defense Minister Iván Velásquez, lawyer Del Río, and President Petro. However, Del Río pointed out that “it would not make sense” for someone who aspires to end his life to decide to seek a lawyer in the hours before. He believes that something happened on Friday that made the police decide to take his life.
Legal Medicine has not yet released the results of the autopsy and the reasons for Dávila’s death remain a mystery. Del Río has announced that he will not go to the Prosecutor’s Office after receiving a summons, and has preferred to send a letter that he made public in which he explains his short relationship with Dávila. Next, Colombia mourns the loss of Óscar Dávila.