Guatemalan authorities have taken two men into custody in connection with the brazen assassination of Juan Francisco Solorzano Foppa, a high-profile anti-corruption lawyer and former public prosecutor whose career was defined by relentless investigations into the nation’s political and business elites.
The fatal attack unfolded on a Saturday afternoon at the sprawling Campo Marte sports complex in Guatemala City. According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, two armed assailants opened fire on Solorzano Foppa while he was visiting the facility. The gunfire also claimed the life of another man, identified as Gustavo Adolfo Aguilar Gamarro. The sudden and violent nature of the shooting sent shockwaves through the capital, immediately drawing widespread condemnation from the highest levels of the Guatemalan government and prompting an urgent law enforcement response.
Shortly after the attack, the National Civil Police moved swiftly, announcing the arrest of two suspects, identified by authorities as Daniel Choc Toz and Rigoberto Choc Toz. Alongside the arrests, law enforcement officers seized a carbine-style firearm and a motorcycle believed to have been utilized by the perpetrators during the execution of the crime. The swift apprehension of the alleged gunmen brought the suspects to the Tower of Tribunals in Guatemala City under heavy security as investigators began piecing together the full scope of the conspiracy behind the murder.
The loss of Solorzano Foppa represents a profound blow to the legal and anti-corruption community in Central America. At 43 years of age, he had built a formidable reputation as a fearless advocate willing to challenge powerful institutional forces, entrenched criminal networks, and corrupt elements within the state apparatus. Throughout his career, he frequently targeted wrongdoing by some of Guatemala’s most influential politicians, prominent business leaders, and major corporate entities, earning both fierce allies and dangerous adversaries.
News of the assassination prompted an immediate and forceful reaction from Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo. Taking to his official account on the social media platform X, the president expressed his absolute outrage over the killing and vowed that the state would pursue justice relentlessly.
"I strongly condemn the cowardly murder of former prosecutor Juan Francisco Solorzano Foppa," Arévalo wrote. "Both the direct perpetrators and those who ordered the crime must face the full weight of the law."
President Arévalo added that he had personally instructed his administration to coordinate all necessary resources among relevant state agencies to ensure a thorough and transparent investigation. Sending a direct message to those who might seek to destabilize the country through violence, the president emphasized that the government would not bow to intimidation.
"Those who believe that terror can intimidate the people of Guatemala and the government I lead are mistaken," Arévalo stated. "In honour of Foppa, in honour of our homeland, in honour of justice."
Solorzano Foppa’s professional trajectory was marked by significant leadership roles within the nation’s justice and administrative systems. Before establishing himself as a prominent defense attorney and independent anti-corruption voice, he headed the Criminal Investigations Directorate within the Public Prosecutor’s Office. His tenure in public service also included leading Guatemala’s tax authority, the Superintendency of Tax Administration (SAT), from 2016 to 2018. During his time at the helm of the tax agency, he played a pivotal role in prosecuting dozens of powerful Guatemalan business figures and recovering substantial sums in unpaid taxes, challenging a culture of impunity that had long protected economic elites.
In the years following his departure from public administration, Solorzano Foppa remained a central figure in high-stakes legal and political battles. In 2025, he drew widespread attention after alleging direct connections between the Barrio 18 street gang and the National Unity of Hope political party, as well as exposing deeper institutional links between organized criminal gangs and elements within the country’s judicial system.
His commitment to defending civil liberties and judicial independence was further underscored in 2023, when he briefly joined the legal defense team of Jose Ruben Zamora, a prominent Guatemalan journalist. Zamora has long stood as an international symbol of resistance against the criminalization of journalism and the systematic erosion of judicial independence in Central America.
Solorzano Foppa’s involvement in the high-profile Zamora case ultimately came to an end due to mounting legal pressure from state prosecutors. The Public Prosecutor’s Office accused Solorzano Foppa of obstructing legal proceedings and allegedly destroying or concealing information related to the case. While he consistently denied the accusations, he ultimately accepted them as part of a plea agreement, noting at the time that he did so because he did not believe he would receive a fair and impartial trial within the existing judicial framework.
As the investigation into the Campo Marte shooting continues, authorities face intense public scrutiny to uncover not only the two men who allegedly pulled the trigger, but also the intellectual authors who planned and ordered the assassination. The case remains a stark reminder of the extreme risks faced by legal professionals, journalists, and anti-corruption advocates operating within Guatemala.