Accused assassins murdered in Ecuador prisons

Authorities in Ecuador say a seventh suspect in the assassination of anti-corruption presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, was murdered on Saturday at a prison in Ecuador's capital, Quito. He has not been formally identified and his nationality has not been revealed.

Just a day before, on Friday,  six Colombian men also accused of the assassination were murdered in the Litoral Penitentiary in the city of Guayaquil.

The coinciding killings seem aimed at thwarting and derailing the investigation into the assassination, which has rocked the country and its government, and challenged the foundations of democracy itself. Organized crime is the prime suspect in the assassination and the subsequent prison killings, attempting to forever silence those involved.  Six more suspects have been moved to a secret secure location for their safety. The director of Ecuador's penal system and the head of police investigations have both been fired. 

President Guillermo Lasso has been holding an emergency meeting with his Security Cabinet in this volatile crisis situation. He is vowing the truth will be found and revealed. All of this has happened within days of the second-round runoff of the presidential election, which will take place on October 15th.