Much of Colombia is in mourning today, with the sad news that a leading conservative presidential candidate, Miguel Uribe Turbay, died of his wounds in a brazen assassination that began on June 7. He was 39 and the father of three young children. I wrote about the initial attack here.
According to the Washington Post:
Miguel Uribe Turbay, a Colombian senator and presidential hopeful, died Monday, two months after he was shot at a campaign event in the country’s capital, the Associated Press reported.
Uribe Turbay was a senator from the conservative Centro Democrático Party, which mourned him in a Monday X post. He was 39. His wife, María Claudia Tarazona, confirmed his death, the AP report
He was shot in the head by a 15-year-old gunman no one knows much about. The leftist government, led by former narcoguerrilla and Hugo Chavez ally Gustavo Petro says it still doesn't have any idea who did it, though they have supposedly rounded up a few associates. It's had two months to find out, and it still knows "nothing."
Colombia's loquacious radical president, Gustavo Petro, is curiously silent about this death on X. He spews thousand-word diatribes at the drop of the hat, and has often targeted Uribe Turbay. Not even "thoughts and thoughts," him being likely an atheist.
He has, however, come out loudly in defense of the triggerman, whom he views as a tender youth:
RECUERDEN ESTA PERLA ????
— Adriana Martinez (@AdrianaVeterin) August 11, 2025
Petro salió a pedir respeto por la vida del sicario que AS€SINÓ a Miguel Uribe. Mientras en otros países los menores que matan son juzgados como adultos, aquí este imbécil abogó por él como si fuera un querubín.
ESTAMOS LLEVADOS CON ESTE TIPO. pic.twitter.com/E1lwGI9ZDe
Google Translate:
REMEMBER THIS GEM 
Petro came out to demand respect for the life of the hitman who MURD€RED Miguel Uribe. While in other countries minors who kill are tried as adults, here this idiot advocated for him as if he were a cherub. WE’RE SCREWED WITH THIS GUY.
Actually, he's a 'sicario' -- a soulless, rootless, military-aged youth of the kind one finds in places like Sierra Leone; a remorseless, conscienceless killing machine with no empathy, no social capital, no experience of human connection, let alone intact family, who will kill at the drop of the hat, over nothing, or especially if he gets paid. This type of person was featured in Colombian movies such as "Nuestra Senora de los Sicarios" and the documentary "La Sierra."
Nothing from Petro about who got this pawn to do this dastardly act.
I am getting of 'Butler' vibes from this state of affairs.
Marco Rubio wasn't silent. He put out this tweet two hours ago:
Deeply saddened to learn of Colombian Senator @MiguelUribeT's tragic death. The United States stands in solidarity with his family, the Colombian people, both in mourning and demanding justice for those responsible.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) August 11, 2025
He sounds like he thinks there's a deficit of justice, while Colombians themselves are very suspicious it was someone connected to Petro, a former M-19 Marxist narcoguerrilla, whose organization in 1985 made common cause with Pablo Escobar, and teamed to burn down Colombia's Supreme Court with many of the justices in it.
Escobar also kidnapped Diana Turbay in 1990, a respected journalist who was killed in a botched hostage rescue the following year. Turbay was Miguel Uribe Turbay's mother, and he was five when it happened.
Anyone think Petro is incapable of this kind of political violence just on background alone?
It also didn't help that he spewed copious insults and slanders at Uribe Turbay, who was a close politicaly ally of former President Alvaro Uribe (no relation), a man who saved his country from FARC Marxist narcoterrorists closely aligned with Hugo Chavez and was lawfared last week by the Petro administration over a phony bribery case that amounted to a travesty of justice. They sentenced him to 12 years of prison, making it house arrest.
In Colombia, it seems they all think he did it.
No tengo la menor duda: todo sugiere que el DETERMINADOR e instigador del asesinato de Miguel Uribe Turbay fue el guerrillero terrorista Gustavo Petro. pic.twitter.com/Y3FDDd9Sz4
— Manuel J ???????? (@mjoftalmo) August 11, 2025
Que su muerte no sea en vano y sea el final del mandato de #GustavoPetro DEP @
— Susan ReinosoMiguelUribeT q el 7/6 recibió 3 disparos de un sicario de 15 años, hoy bajo custodia del Estado colombiano, no preso, x orden del gobierno. pic.twitter.com/ DmVsFXwwNB (@reinosu) August 11, 2025
She points out that the 15-year-old gunman was put in 'government custody' instead of prison.
Others were suspicious of all the false death reports that went out after the June 7 attack, something a powerful player such as a government might be capable of arranging. But the target wasn't dead, even with the video showing Uribe Turbay getting shot in the head at close range with blood spurting all over the car he was near.
El 7 jun 2025, mientras operaban al senador Miguel Uribe Turbay tras un atentado, X se llenó de posts anunciando su muerte. Era falso.⁰⁰Esta es la investigación ???? #PetroLeaks #MiguelUribe #politica #Colombia #GustavoPetro pic.twitter.com/6aMQAL4YJb
— Petro Leaks (@LeaksPetro690) August 6, 2025
Lastly, Petro has become grossly unpopular based on his socialist policies and someone like Uribe Turbay, whom he repeatedly clashed with when both were on the Bogota city council, was obviously a threat to him. Since Petro probably couldn't win an election without cheating, or killing off his opponent, what does anyone think he might do?
There's so much that stinks here about this case it could create a pigsty.
The critical thing here is what the U.S. should do about it. Sanctions on Petro until he produces the story behind the assassination of his opponent seems to be a reasonable first step.
Maybe more should be done, given Petro's penchant for flying to other countries and hanging out with transgender hookers would be in order, too, surely the Colombian public would like to know.
Whatever it is, Petro needs to be put on the hot seat for this death of his rival: Produce the bad guys or hell will follow. We've already seen too much garbage from the left on that continent, what with the lawfare attacks on President Jair Bolsonaro who wanted to run again for the presidency in Brazil, the conviction of retired President Uribe in Colombia as Petro's unpopularity soared. Now this, a dead presidential candidate who was poised to directly challenge Petro has happened. Whatever this is, it's not democracy. Cui bono?
Image: Internet meme