In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Velásquez and the second or maternal family name is Vásquez.
Jhon Jairo Velásquez Vásquez (April 15, 1962 – February 6, 2020), also known by the alias "Popeye" or "JJ", was a Colombian hitman,[1] who was part of the criminal structure of the Medellín Cartel until his surrender to the Colombian justice system in 1992. Within this structure he claimed to be a lieutenant commanding half of the sicarios.[2]
Velásquez was born in the municipality of Yarumal, Antioquia, Colombia.[citation needed] He joined the Colombian National Army; later he was in the cadet school of the national police, only to leave days later joining the school of apprentices of the Colombian Navy where he earned the nickname "Popeye" because of his physical resemblance to the character. Later he had plastic surgery and no longer had the same distinctive appearance.[3] Velásquez escaped from prison, was later caught, and served his sentence.[4]
Velásquez was identified as one of the foremost hitmen of the Medellín cartel. He confessed to 257 personal killings, the kidnapping of then-candidate for mayor of Bogotá, Andrés Pastrana Arango (who would later become the President of the Republic), the kidnapping of Francisco Santos (who would later become vice president), kidnapping and murder of Colombian politician Carlos Mauro Hoyos, complicity in the murder of the governor of Antioquia, Antonio Roldán Betancur, in a failed mission entrusted to Velásquez and John Jairo Arias Tascón, alias "Pinina", to kill a police colonel, and the killing of politician and Presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento.[5] He also admitted to arranging over 3,000 killings.[6] He also helped to plan the plane bombing that killed 110 people.[4]
In May 2018 Velásquez was arrested on charges of extortion and criminal conspiracy. It has been claimed that he was blackmailing former associates of Pablo Escobar who were still in control of some of his assets.[7]
Convictions
From 1992 until 2014, Velásquez served out a prison sentence on charges of terrorism, drug trafficking, extortion, conspiracy for terrorist purposes and murder.[8] He had received a sentence of thirty years, the maximum provided for under Colombian penal law. During 2000 and 2001, Velásquez was involved in armed clashes in La Modelo prison. In 2008, he was sentenced to twelve years for other judicial proceedings against him. On August 22, 2014, he received probation for having served three-fifths of his sentence. Aged 52, he was released on August 26, 2014, after 23 years and 3 months in prison.[9]
In 2018 he returned to prison on extortion charges and a subsequent conviction and in 2020 died while incarcerated.[10]
Personal life
Velásquez was once in a relationship with Wendy Chavarriaga Gil, a former lover of his boss Pablo Escobar. They were lying in bed one day when the phone rang and on the other end was Pablo Escobar. Velásquez was then given a choice: "love or death, money or lead (plata o plomo)". Velásquez chose plata. He arranged for her to meet him in a cafe. Velásquez would never show, instead he rang the cafe and asked to speak to Wendy. While she was on the phone, two sicarios shot her in each temple. Shortly after the hit, Velásquez drove by to see Wendy laying in a pool of blood.[11]
Controversy continued to swirl around Velásquez following his release from prison. On December 12, 2016, a video appeared in which Velásquez brandishes and fires a handgun in the streets of Medellín.[12] In the video, Velásquez proudly states, "Hello, warriors, I'm here in the streets of my beloved Medellín, testing out my beautiful 9mm Pietro Beretta. We're firing it, it's a doll, a beauty!"[13]
In December 2016, two men on motorbikes pulled up alongside him as he was driving in his car and robbed him of his glasses, two old bracelets and an old mobile phone, he said. He also said it was the second time he had been targeted in such a way but he had not reported the incidents.[14]
Aside from being a controversial figure, Velásquez was a YouTube personality who uploaded videos. In these videos, he critiqued various topics in Colombia such as a corrupt government and socioeconomic hardships.[15] He was working on a TV series based on his own life and his involvement in the Medellín Cartel. Then in 2017 Netflix released a drama series called Surviving Escobar, which is based on the book[16] written by Velásquez. He was featured in the 2018 documentary series premiere of Dark Tourist. Velásquez performs in a 2019 film, X Sicario – Pablo Escobar's Hitman; he played Simon, the most feared hitman who worked for Pablo Escobar. The film tells a story in which Simon resists against the new regulator of the Mafia in Medellín.[17]
Death
After having been admitted to the hospital for a month, on December 23, 2019, Velásquez was transferred for health reasons from the maximum-security prison of Valledupar to La Picota prison in Bogotá.[18] On January 8, 2020, it was announced that Velásquez had terminal esophageal cancer and that he had at most a few months left to live. He died on February 6, 2020, in Bogotá, aged 57.[19][20]
Works
Velásquez Vásquez, Jhon Jairo (2017). Surviving Pablo Escobar : "Popeye" the hitman 23 years and 3 months in prision (1 ed.). Bogotá, Colombia. ISBN9789588243511.
Velásquez Vásquez, Jhon Jairo (2016). Mi vida como sicario de Pablo Escobar : autobiografía autorizada. Nashville, Tennessee: HarperCollins Espanol. ISBN9780718081287.[21]
In 2013 TV Series Tres Caínes, is portrayed by Sebastián Boscán as the character of 'Espinaco'. With this nickname is also referred in 2014 TV Series En la boca del lobo.
In the Netflix series Narcos, portrayed by Alejandro Buitrago as the character of 'Velasco'.
References
^"El ex jefe de sicarios de Pablo Escobar seguirá en prisión al menos hasta 2016 (Spanish). Murio tras la enfermedad de Cancer Ex-chief of Pablo Escobar's hitmen to be in prison until 2016.". El Mundo. September 16, 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
^Ramos, Fernando; Romo, Rafael (August 27, 2014). "Colombia frees Escobar man who killed". CNN.com. CNN.
^"Kingpin Escobar lives on in heart of top hitman Popeye". Gulf News. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
^ abcDaniel Rennie (April 26, 2018). "Meet John Jairo Velasquez — Pablo Escobar's Top Hitman Who Killed Over 250 People". AllThatsInteresting.com. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
^DONJUAN, Revista. . revistadonjuan.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on August 25, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
^'Popeye', jefe de sicarios de Escobar, saldrá de prisión tras 24 años. August 23, 2014
^Peltier, Elian (February 8, 2020). "Jhon Jairo Velásquez, 57, Dies; Escobar Henchman Turned YouTube Star". The New York Times.
^"2015 Popeye Full TV Interview. Part 1 of 3. English Subtitles". YouTube (in Spanish). January 2, 2015. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
^"Polémica de "Popeye" al mostrar video donde dispara un arma en calles de Medellín" (in Spanish). Caracol Radio. December 12, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
^"Video de Popeye en Instagram disparando arma". YouTube (in Spanish). December 12, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
^"Pablo Escobar's hired killer 'robbed in Colombia'". BBC News. December 6, 2016.
^"POPEYE Arrepentido". YouTube (in Spanish). June 8, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
^Velásquez, Jhon Jairo (2018) Surviving Pablo Escobar. London: John Blake Publishing. ISBN9781786068309
^"X Sicario - Pablo Escobar's Hitman". Amazon Prime Video. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
^"Por problemas de salud, alias Popeye fue trasladado a cárcel La Picota" (in Spanish). December 23, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
^"Popeye padece cáncer terminal de esófago" (in Spanish). January 8, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
^Brito, Christopher (2020) Pablo Escobar's former hitman "Popeye" has died at 58 cbsnews.com
^"After 23 years in prison, top assassin for Pablo Escobar is a 'reformed' man". The Tico Times. Costa Rica. September 11, 2015. Retrieved April 25, 2022. Listen to more excerpts of our interview in Spanish below. Here, Popeye talks about his new book: (via: soundcloud.com)
jhon, jairo, velásquez, this, spanish, name, first, paternal, surname, velásquez, second, maternal, family, name, vásquez, vásquez, april, 1962, february, 2020, also, known, alias, popeye, colombian, hitman, part, criminal, structure, medellín, cartel, until, . In this Spanish name the first or paternal surname is Velasquez and the second or maternal family name is Vasquez Jhon Jairo Velasquez Vasquez April 15 1962 February 6 2020 also known by the alias Popeye or JJ was a Colombian hitman 1 who was part of the criminal structure of the Medellin Cartel until his surrender to the Colombian justice system in 1992 Within this structure he claimed to be a lieutenant commanding half of the sicarios 2 Jhon Jairo VelasquezVelasquez being interviewed in 2014BornJhon Jairo Velasquez Vasquez 1962 04 15 April 15 1962Yarumal ColombiaDiedFebruary 6 2020 2020 02 06 aged 57 Bogota ColombiaNationalityColombianOther namesJJ PopeyeAllegianceMedellin CartelConviction s Murder kidnapping and terrorism charges with conviction fulfilled Date apprehended1992Velasquez was born in the municipality of Yarumal Antioquia Colombia citation needed He joined the Colombian National Army later he was in the cadet school of the national police only to leave days later joining the school of apprentices of the Colombian Navy where he earned the nickname Popeye because of his physical resemblance to the character Later he had plastic surgery and no longer had the same distinctive appearance 3 Velasquez escaped from prison was later caught and served his sentence 4 Contents 1 Education 2 Criminal career 3 Convictions 4 Personal life 5 Death 6 Works 7 Popular culture 8 References 9 External linksEducation EditVelasquez entered the School of NCOs of the Colombian Navy eventually transferring to the General Santander National Police Academy where he spent one semester 4 Criminal career EditVelasquez was identified as one of the foremost hitmen of the Medellin cartel He confessed to 257 personal killings the kidnapping of then candidate for mayor of Bogota Andres Pastrana Arango who would later become the President of the Republic the kidnapping of Francisco Santos who would later become vice president kidnapping and murder of Colombian politician Carlos Mauro Hoyos complicity in the murder of the governor of Antioquia Antonio Roldan Betancur in a failed mission entrusted to Velasquez and John Jairo Arias Tascon alias Pinina to kill a police colonel and the killing of politician and Presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan Sarmiento 5 He also admitted to arranging over 3 000 killings 6 He also helped to plan the plane bombing that killed 110 people 4 In May 2018 Velasquez was arrested on charges of extortion and criminal conspiracy It has been claimed that he was blackmailing former associates of Pablo Escobar who were still in control of some of his assets 7 Convictions EditFrom 1992 until 2014 Velasquez served out a prison sentence on charges of terrorism drug trafficking extortion conspiracy for terrorist purposes and murder 8 He had received a sentence of thirty years the maximum provided for under Colombian penal law During 2000 and 2001 Velasquez was involved in armed clashes in La Modelo prison In 2008 he was sentenced to twelve years for other judicial proceedings against him On August 22 2014 he received probation for having served three fifths of his sentence Aged 52 he was released on August 26 2014 after 23 years and 3 months in prison 9 In 2018 he returned to prison on extortion charges and a subsequent conviction and in 2020 died while incarcerated 10 Personal life EditVelasquez was once in a relationship with Wendy Chavarriaga Gil a former lover of his boss Pablo Escobar They were lying in bed one day when the phone rang and on the other end was Pablo Escobar Velasquez was then given a choice love or death money or lead plata o plomo Velasquez chose plata He arranged for her to meet him in a cafe Velasquez would never show instead he rang the cafe and asked to speak to Wendy While she was on the phone two sicarios shot her in each temple Shortly after the hit Velasquez drove by to see Wendy laying in a pool of blood 11 Controversy continued to swirl around Velasquez following his release from prison On December 12 2016 a video appeared in which Velasquez brandishes and fires a handgun in the streets of Medellin 12 In the video Velasquez proudly states Hello warriors I m here in the streets of my beloved Medellin testing out my beautiful 9mm Pietro Beretta We re firing it it s a doll a beauty 13 In December 2016 two men on motorbikes pulled up alongside him as he was driving in his car and robbed him of his glasses two old bracelets and an old mobile phone he said He also said it was the second time he had been targeted in such a way but he had not reported the incidents 14 Aside from being a controversial figure Velasquez was a YouTube personality who uploaded videos In these videos he critiqued various topics in Colombia such as a corrupt government and socioeconomic hardships 15 He was working on a TV series based on his own life and his involvement in the Medellin Cartel Then in 2017 Netflix released a drama series called Surviving Escobar which is based on the book 16 written by Velasquez He was featured in the 2018 documentary series premiere of Dark Tourist Velasquez performs in a 2019 film X Sicario Pablo Escobar s Hitman he played Simon the most feared hitman who worked for Pablo Escobar The film tells a story in which Simon resists against the new regulator of the Mafia in Medellin 17 Death EditAfter having been admitted to the hospital for a month on December 23 2019 Velasquez was transferred for health reasons from the maximum security prison of Valledupar to La Picota prison in Bogota 18 On January 8 2020 it was announced that Velasquez had terminal esophageal cancer and that he had at most a few months left to live He died on February 6 2020 in Bogota aged 57 19 20 Works EditVelasquez Vasquez Jhon Jairo 2017 Surviving Pablo Escobar Popeye the hitman 23 years and 3 months in prision 1 ed Bogota Colombia ISBN 9789588243511 Velasquez Vasquez Jhon Jairo 2016 Mi vida como sicario de Pablo Escobar autobiografia autorizada Nashville Tennessee HarperCollins Espanol ISBN 9780718081287 21 Popular culture EditIn 2012 Caracol Television s TV Series Pablo Escobar The Drug Lord is portrayed by Carlos Marino as the character of Yeison Taborda El Marino In 2013 TV Series Tres Caines is portrayed by Sebastian Boscan as the character of Espinaco With this nickname is also referred in 2014 TV Series En la boca del lobo In TV Series Surviving Escobar Alias JJ is portrayed by Juan Pablo Urrego In the Netflix series Narcos portrayed by Alejandro Buitrago as the character of Velasco References Edit El ex jefe de sicarios de Pablo Escobar seguira en prision al menos hasta 2016 Spanish Murio tras la enfermedad de Cancer Ex chief of Pablo Escobar s hitmen to be in prison until 2016 El Mundo September 16 2013 Retrieved October 3 2016 Ramos Fernando Romo Rafael August 27 2014 Colombia frees Escobar man who killed CNN com CNN Kingpin Escobar lives on in heart of top hitman Popeye Gulf News Retrieved February 6 2020 a b c Daniel Rennie April 26 2018 Meet John Jairo Velasquez Pablo Escobar s Top Hitman Who Killed Over 250 People AllThatsInteresting com Retrieved February 6 2020 Declarado Culpable August 11 1997 Pablo Escobar s hitman killed over 3000 people September 23 2016 US Helps Colombia Arrest Longtime Medellin Underworld Figure Popeye DONJUAN Revista Popeye perfil de un sicario que mato a Alexandra mas de 250 personas Historias Revista DONJUAN revistadonjuan com in Spanish Archived from the original on August 25 2012 Retrieved November 16 2016 Popeye jefe de sicarios de Escobar saldra de prision tras 24 anos August 23 2014 Peltier Elian February 8 2020 Jhon Jairo Velasquez 57 Dies Escobar Henchman Turned YouTube Star The New York Times 2015 Popeye Full TV Interview Part 1 of 3 English Subtitles YouTube in Spanish January 2 2015 Retrieved August 4 2022 Polemica de Popeye al mostrar video donde dispara un arma en calles de Medellin in Spanish Caracol Radio December 12 2016 Retrieved January 9 2017 Video de Popeye en Instagram disparando arma YouTube in Spanish December 12 2016 Retrieved January 9 2017 Pablo Escobar s hired killer robbed in Colombia BBC News December 6 2016 POPEYE Arrepentido YouTube in Spanish June 8 2016 Retrieved January 9 2017 Velasquez Jhon Jairo 2018 Surviving Pablo Escobar London John Blake Publishing ISBN 9781786068309 X Sicario Pablo Escobar s Hitman Amazon Prime Video Retrieved February 6 2020 Por problemas de salud alias Popeye fue trasladado a carcel La Picota in Spanish December 23 2019 Retrieved January 8 2020 Popeye padece cancer terminal de esofago in Spanish January 8 2020 Retrieved January 8 2020 Brito Christopher 2020 Pablo Escobar s former hitman Popeye has died at 58 cbsnews com After 23 years in prison top assassin for Pablo Escobar is a reformed man The Tico Times Costa Rica September 11 2015 Retrieved April 25 2022 Listen to more excerpts of our interview in Spanish below Here Popeye talks about his new book via soundcloud com External links EditOfficial website Jhon Jairo Velasquez at IMDb John Jairo Velasquez at YouTube X Sicario Pablo Escobar s Hitman at YouTube Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Jhon Jairo Velasquez amp oldid 1149167183, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
