3 people charged with murdering a Hmong American comedian last month in Colombia

By ASTRID SUÁREZ
Associated Press

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian prosecutors say three people have been jailed in the kidnapping and killing of a Hmong American comedian and activist who was found dead near Medellín after going out to meet a woman he reportedly met on social media. The Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement Thursday that two men and a woman are charged with the crimes of aggravated kidnapping for extortion and aggravated homicide in the death last month of 50-year-old Tou Ger Xiong. It says the suspects denied the charges at a hearing. Prosecutors allege Xiong was tortured by his captors to get his family and a friend in the U.S. to send money. After getting the payment, the suspects allegedly beat Xiong to death and threw his body off a cliff.