PACASMAYO, LA LIBERTAD, PERU – AUGUST 15, 2026 44-year-old lawyer Helenn Giulianna Silva Padilla was sitting with three other people at the Pikeitos restobar when an armed man arrived at the establishment on a motorcycle. He approached the place where she was sitting and fired several shots at her. One of the bullets struck her in the head. Her companions escaped unharmed.
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- Helenn Giulianna Silva Padilla 1
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- Helenn Giulianna Silva Padilla 2
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- Helenn Giulianna Silva Padilla 3
Silva Padilla remained seriously wounded on the table after the attack. Those present took her to Tomás Lafora Hospital in Guadalupe, but doctors could only confirm her death. The attacker then fled on a motorcycle together with an accomplice. Police began analyzing security camera footage.
Several days later, police arrested 25-year-old Stewart David Dávalos Vásquez, whom investigators suspect of being involved in the murder. During a search of his home, police reportedly found a photograph of the murdered lawyer, ammunition, a cell phone, a motorcycle, and substances suspected to be drugs. Authorities are also investigating his possible links to the La Mafia del Valle group.
Police have identified retaliation related to the legal services Silva Padilla provided to people connected to the criminal underworld as one of the main lines of investigation. According to police, there had also been threats and demands for money to be returned before the murder.
