NewsWorld News

Actions

Nicaragua court frees prisoner in death of Brazilian student

Posted

MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — A court in Nicaragua has ordered the release of a suspected armed pro-government civilian sentenced to 15 years in prison for the killing of Brazilian medical student Rayneia Lima a year ago.

Three judges in the Managua Court of Appeals freed Pierson Gutiérrez, who was sentenced last November for homicide and illegal weapons. They based Tuesday’s decision on an amnesty law approved earlier this month that benefited demonstrators involved in anti-government protests in 2018.

Gutiérrez acknowledged shooting Lima several times as she drove home from a hospital shift. University officials said Lima was riding in a vehicle when it was riddled by bullets that struck her vital organs. The shots came from pro-government civilians who had taken over the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua as Lima was traveling nearby.