Home / Crime and Justice / Chile Fugitive in Folk Singer's Murder Arrested
Chile Fugitive in Folk Singer's Murder Arrested
27 Jul
Summary
- Convicted killer of folk singer Victor Jara captured in southern Chile.
- Fugitive Nelson Haase evaded capture for nearly three years.
- Victor Jara was murdered shortly after the 1973 Pinochet coup.
Police in Chile have captured Nelson Haase, a former colonel convicted in the 1973 kidnapping and murder of folk singer Victor Jara. Haase had been on the run for nearly three years after being sentenced in August 2023. The sentence comprises 15 years for murder and 10 years for kidnapping.
Victor Jara, a popular protest singer and supporter of the socialist government, was killed just five days after the military coup that brought Augusto Pinochet to power. He was tortured and shot 44 times. His case is a stark example of the human rights abuses during the 17-year Pinochet regime.
Haase was one of eight officers found guilty in 2018. Another convicted officer, Hernan Chacon, died by suicide when police attempted his arrest. The remaining five are currently incarcerated. In 2023, the U.S. also extradited Pedro Barrientos, held liable for Jara's murder by a Florida jury.
