Montes got involved in the protests because he saw that people’s rights were being violated.  He participated in marches and witnessed the killing of Lenín Mendiola in Matagalpa, attributed by witnesses to paramilitaries. “The police made an appointment with Eddy on Sunday, October 7, about a property issue he had in litigation,” says Montenegro.  “Everybody thought it strange that they would set up the meeting on a Sunday, but he went.  Days afterwards, a friend who was a prisoner called to tell us he was in the El Chipote prison. Later, they held a single hearing and accused him of terrorism, of having killed Lenín Mendiola, of having burned the Matagalpa Municipal Government offices and a whole bunch of other criminal acts.”

In La Modelo prison, where he remained nearly seven months, until his murder, don Eddy made bracelets and preached the word of God.  Many young prisoners were drawn to him and loved him like a father.

Doña Paola describes how Montes bled to death in the prison after being shot in the groin during a shootout by prison guards.  “The Forensic Examiner’s Office said they were going to give us his body on Friday, May 17, but we requested an independent autopsy, which was finally done on Sunday under police vigilance, after overcoming many hurdles,” she explains.

“I want to emphasize that Eddy was never a terrorist, never violated private property and never even threw stones or fired those homemade mortars,” insists Montenegro. “He always defended human rights and helped many persecuted young people get out of the country, which is why his relatives are demanding justice.  We want the government to give us a clear answer about what happened.”

For her part, his daughter Eddy Jafet Montes, who lives in the United States, told the local press there that she holds Daniel Ortega’s government responsible for her father’s murder.  “I blame the government, I blame the President because he controls everything that happens in that country and anything that happens is because he permits it.”