A resolution commemorating the life of Luis Alejandro "Alex" Villamayor and calling for justice and accountability.

III 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 269 Commemorating the life of Luis Alejandro ‘‘Alex’’ Villamayor and calling for justice and accountability. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JUNE 27, 2019 Mr. CARDIN (for himself and Mr. VAN HOLLEN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations RESOLUTION Commemorating the life of Luis Alejandro ‘‘Alex’’ Villamayor and calling for justice and accountability. 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, sib- lings, 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 fortu- nate; VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:37 Jun 28, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR269.IS SR269 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 269 IS Whereas Alex Villamayor graduated with honors from Para- guay’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 manage- ment 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 Encarnacio´n in Paraguay; Whereas Alex Villamayor’s death was wrongfully ruled a sui- cide 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 ex- humed 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 investiga- tion 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, ad- mitted in a televised public interview that he had re- moved the murder weapon from the crime scene and placed another firearm in Alex Villamayor’s hand; VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:37 Jun 28, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR269.IS SR269 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 269 IS 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 Dı´az de Bedoya for his role in Alex Villamayor’s murder; Whereas, in November 2016, Paraguayan authorities dropped the charges against Alain Jacks Dı´az 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 as- sistance for the investigation into Alex Villamayor’s death and the United States Embassy in Asuncio´n, Paraguay has offered such assistance to Paraguayan authorities; Whereas, to date, the Government of Paraguay has not in- vited the Federal Bureau of Investigation to provide tech- nical assistance for the investigation into Alex Villamayor’s death; Whereas the United States embassy in Asuncio´n, 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 Ambas- sador 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’’; Whereas, in April 2018, Rene Hofstetter was convicted of homicide and sentenced to 12 years in prison and Ma- VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:37 Jun 28, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR269.IS SR269 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS 4 •SRES 269 IS thias 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 con- tinue to face grave physical threats in Paraguay for their pursuit of justice: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) commemorates the life of United States cit- 2 izen Luis Alejandro ‘‘Alex’’ Villamayor and offers 3 condolences to his family and friends; 4 (2) expresses profound concern about the delays 5 in achieving justice in Alex Villamayor’s case; 6 (3) urges Paraguayan authorities to invite the 7 Federal Bureau of Investigation to provide technical 8 assistance to properly investigate the circumstances 9 surrounding Alex Villamayor’s death and assess 10 whether other individuals may have had a role in the 11 crime or cover-up; 12 (4) urges the Government of Paraguay to pro- 13 vide for the physical security of Alex Villamayor’s 14 family and others seeking justice in this case and to 15 properly investigate recent threats against their 16 lives, charging those implicated in such threats; 17 (5) calls on the Department of State to 18 prioritize justice for Alex Villamayor in its diplo- 19 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:37 Jun 28, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR269.IS SR269 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS 5 •SRES 269 IS matic engagement with the Government of Para- 1 guay; and 2 (6) calls on the Department of State to review 3 its procedures for providing services to the families 4 of United States citizens slain or assaulted abroad. 5 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:37 Jun 28, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR269.IS SR269 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS