Ex-Colombia spy boss convicted in satirist’s 1999 killing

BOGOTA – The former deputy head of Colombia’s intelligence agency was convicted Tuesday in the 1999 killing of beloved satirist Jaime Garzon and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Jose Miguel Narvaez’s conviction for aggravated homicide came a day after Colombians commemorated the 19th anniversary of Garzon’s slaying. The killing shocked Colombians who looked to Garzon as a trusted intermediary with leftist rebels at a time of rising political violence.

Colombia’s top administrative court in 2016 found the state responsible for Garzon’s killing. The now-disbanded DAS intelligence agency carried out illegal wiretaps on Garzon, and Narvaez shared the information with paramilitary leaders opposed to the humorist’s peace efforts.

Garzon’s family celebrated the conviction but said they would appeal to have the killing classified as a crime against humanity.