Hernán Chacón Soto ( – 29 August 2023) was a Chilean military officer who held the rank of

Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

in the

Chilean Army The Chilean Army () is the land arm of the Chilean Armed Forces. This 80,000-person army (9,200 of which are conscripts) is organized into six divisions, an army aviation brigade and a special operations brigade. In recent years, and after sever ...

. In July 2018, he was convicted, with seven others, of participating in the kidnapping, torture and murder of

Víctor Jara Víctor Lidio Jara Martínez (; 28 September 1932 – 16 September 1973) was a Chilean teacher, theatre director, theater director, poet, singer-songwriter and PCCh, Communist political activist. He developed Chilean theater by directing a bro ...

and Littre Quiroga in 1973. On 28 August 2023, these sentences were upheld by the

Supreme Court of Chile The Supreme Court of Chile is the highest court in Chile. It also administers the lower courts in the nation. It is located in the capital Santiago. In the Chilean system, the court lacks the broader power of judicial review—it cannot set bindi ...

, and Soto and six others were sentenced to fifteen years in Punta Peuco Prison. On 29 August, the same morning he was due to be arrested and transferred to prison, Soto, at the age of 86, committed suicide by gunshot.

References

{{reflist 1930s births Year of birth uncertain 2023 deaths 2023 suicides Chilean kidnappers Chilean people convicted of murder Suicides by firearm in Chile