Influencer Jesús Sarmiento, 25, was shot and killed on the night of Sunday, June 22, while broadcasting live from his home in the Piñonal sector of the city of Maracay, Aragua state, in northern Venezuela.
The young man was publicly denouncing an alleged criminal group when he was shot while broadcasting, while his followers looked on in astonishment.
The crime took place inside the digital content creator’s home in a residential area of Maracay.
The town is part of Aragua state, a region that has been repeatedly singled out by human rights organizations and independent media for high rates of violence associated with organized crime.
The attack took place on the evening of Sunday, June 22, 2025, during a live broadcast on social media. The shots were fired while Sarmiento was making public accusations linking criminal organizations in the region to acts of extortion and violence.
Jesús Sarmiento was a young Venezuelan content creator and influencer, active on digital platforms like TikTok. He had become known for his broadcasts, which addressed issues of social criticism, corruption, and urban violence.
He had repeatedly accused illegal groups of being behind his father’s murder, as well as having received threats and acts of intimidation.
He had also stated that he had been imprisoned on what he considered a false accusation, filed by a former partner, which had profoundly affected his emotional stability.
Although the investigation is ongoing, Sarmiento had repeatedly reported being the victim of threats from an alleged extortion network.
In his posts, he indirectly blamed members of the Tren de Aragua, a criminal organization born in Venezuelan prisons in 2009 and whose influence has spread to countries such as Colombia, Chile, Peru, and Spain.
His posts frequently tagged powerful figures such as Diosdado Cabello, the governor of Aragua, Karla Johana Sánchez, and state security forces, demanding urgent attention. However, he did not receive institutional protection prior to the crime.
Following the murder, the Venezuelan Public Prosecutor’s Office announced the appointment of the 69th National Prosecutor’s Office to conduct the investigation, a measure that has been criticized for its delay, given the young man’s constant and public warnings.
The case of Jesús Sarmiento has sparked a strong reaction on social media, where users and activists have denounced the authorities’ lack of action in the face of rising violence against independent journalists.
According to data from the Venezuelan Observatory of Violence, Aragua state recorded a homicide rate of 27.2 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023, making it one of the most violent states in the country.
This murder is not an isolated incident. It adds to a worrying trend in Latin America where communicators, digital activists, and content creators are targeted for exercising their right to freedom of expression.
