Hugo Spadafora's Killer Released From Prison

David, Chiriqui - After having served a prison sentence of 19 years, 11 months, and four days, Julio César Miranda (a.k.a. "Muñecón"), one of those convicted in the murder of Hugo Spadafora, was released from prison. Miranda was released Sunday morning, 3 January 2010. He was imprisoned for almost twenty years in the public jail in David in the province of Chiriqui. 26 days of Miranda's sentence were commuted for studies he did while incarcerated, said Orlando Guerra, the director of the prison. Guerra said Miranda was the last of those involved in the Spadafora case who was still imprisoned in Chiriqui. The prison director simply said "he served his sentence." (Editor's Comment: From Wikipedia - "Spadafora was detained by Noriega's forces when entering Panama from Costa Rica in September 1985, and his decapitated body was later found stuffed in a post office bag. The autopsy later found Spadafora's stomach full of the blood he had ingested during the slow severing of his head. He had also endured hours of unspeakable torture. President Nicolás Ardito Barletta tried to set up a commission to investigate the murder but was forced to resign by Noriega, which increased suspicions that the military ordered the beheading. It was not until the administration of President Guillermo Endara that a court found Noriega (in absentia) and other followers guilty of a conspiracy to murder Spadafora.") (Source: Boris Gómez for La Prensa)