According to reports by Maya TV, journalist Noel Valladares had received death threats and had been subjected to attempted extortion.
(C-Libre/IFEX) – 23 April 2012, Tegucigalpa – Noel Valladares, presenter and producer of the TV show “El show del Tecolote” on Canal 66 Maya TV, was killed on 23 April 2012, minutes after the broadcast of his show had ended.
The incident took place metres from the channel’s offices, on the ring road near the La Cañada district in Comayagüela.
Valladares was riding in a Toyota Corola with his co-presenter and roommate Nelly Yorleny Pavón and two men who were thought to be his bodyguards.
According to what Pavón told the National Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DNIC) in the emergency room of Hospital Escuela, the two journalists were sitting in the rear seats of the vehicle when four armed men wearing balaclavas and driving a white Toyota Prado blocked their way.
“El show del Tecolote” was an entertainment programme broadcast Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 10:00am. On the show Valladares answered listeners’ phone calls and predicted the winning numbers for various lotteries.
According to reports by Maya TV, Valladares had received death threats and had been subjected to attempted extortion.
