Ecuadorian Judge Who Received Repeated Death Threats Since 2024 Was Shot Dead While Heading to Gym

An Ecuadorian judge who had previously received threats was shot dead while on her way to the gym, authorities confirmed. According to a police source, the attack came as retaliation for the release of gang members, underscoring the dangerous conditions facing judicial officials.

Further details emerged from Ecuador’s Council of the Judiciary, which said the Judge Lady Gissela Pachar Huanga was killed on May 11 in Machala, Equador. She was traveling in a vehicle without security protection at the time.

According to local news outlet Periódico D'Una, authorities cordoned off the site after the attack and began forensic examinations to collect evidence and determine the escape route of those responsible.

“This crime brings grief to the Judiciary and represents a serious attack against justice and the rule of law in Ecuador,” the council said.

Pachar served as a judge in the Santa Rosa Criminal Judicial Unit. She was driving to the gym when gunfire erupted, according to CBS News.

The judiciary council called on authorities to “conduct a thorough investigation to identify and punish all those responsible for this attack.”

“It should be noted that the judge had previously been assigned protective measures; however, these measures were not in place at the time of the attack,” the council said.

“The judiciary cannot carry out its work under intimidation or violence. Protecting judges, prosecutors, public defenders, and court staff is fundamental to guaranteeing access to justice, judicial independence, and the upholding of the democratic order.”

Local outlet El Balance reported in a Spanish-language post on X that the attack was carried out by hitmen on a motorcycle who intercepted Pachar and shot her at least eight times.

​The killing reportedly occurred despite the magistrate having reported death threats since 2024 and previously being under protective measures.

Pachar had been placed in the Prosecutor’s Office victim and witness protection system after reporting intimidating messages. In October 2025, she was also assigned police protection following new pamphlets containing death threats.

As of May 13, no arrests had been reported in connection with the case.

Citing Human Rights Watch, CBS News reported that at least 16 judges and prosecutors have been killed in Ecuador since 2022.

In October 2025, a gunman on a motorbike killed Judge Marcos Mendoza while he was walking his children to school. The incident took place in the coastal town of Montecristi in Ecuador’s Manabi province, plagued by drug cartels and armed violence.