On a quiet June morning in San Jose, Costa Rica, the life of Roberto Samcam—a retired Nicaraguan military officer and fierce critic of President Daniel Ortega—was violently cut short. The 67-year-old exile was gunned down at his condominium complex on June 19, 2025, in an attack that has since sent shockwaves through both the Nicaraguan diaspora and Costa Rican society. Now, nearly three months later, Costa Rican authorities have announced the arrest of four suspects in connection with the killing, a development that has raised as many questions as it has hopes for justice.
According to the Associated Press and Reuters, the arrests were carried out following a series of raids on September 11 and 12, 2025. Three suspects were apprehended in neighborhoods on the north side of San Jose, while a fourth was detained in the city of Cañas, located in Guanacaste province, west of the capital. The suspects include an alleged intermediary who is believed to have organized the operation, a driver, the intermediary’s girlfriend, and, according to some reports, a 20-year-old believed to have played a key role in the attack. However, Randall Zúñiga, director of Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigations agency, told reporters that the mastermind behind the killing remains unidentified and that a fifth suspect, named Carvajal and thought to be the actual gunman, is still at large as of September 12.
Samcam’s murder was both brutal and chillingly efficient. As detailed by Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigations agency, a man entered the condominium complex in northeast San Jose and shot Samcam multiple times with a 9mm pistol before escaping. The attack bore an unsettling resemblance to a 2024 attempted assassination of another Nicaraguan opposition figure, Joao Salgado (also known as Joao Maldonado in some reports), who survived after being shot multiple times in San Jose. In both cases, the perpetrators used a driver from the same neighborhood, and the attacks were described by Zúñiga as being carried out in a “clumsy way.”
For many Nicaraguan exiles, the killing of Samcam is not just another crime—it is a stark reminder of the dangers they continue to face, even far from home. Since 2018, when Ortega’s government violently repressed mass protests, resulting in more than 300 deaths according to United Nations figures, hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans have sought refuge in Costa Rica. The crackdown, which saw paramilitaries assault the homes of opposition figures—including Samcam himself—marked a turning point for Nicaragua. The government has since systematically pursued dissenters, shuttered hundreds of non-governmental organizations, and persecuted religious groups, including the Catholic Church.
Samcam’s story is emblematic of this wider repression. After fleeing Nicaragua in July 2018 with his wife, he became an active voice in exile, denouncing the Ortega regime and documenting its abuses. In 2020, he served as an expert for the Court of Conscience, organized by Costa Rica’s Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress, where he helped collect testimony from victims of torture and other abuses by the Nicaraguan government. His written works include the 2022 book Ortega: El calvario de Nicaragua (Ortega: Nicaragua’s torment) and a follow-up in 2024, both chronicling the rise of Ortega’s dictatorship and the suffering it has inflicted on the nation.
Following his death, rights groups and exiled dissidents were quick to blame the Ortega government and his wife, co-president Rosario Murillo, for orchestrating the attack. As reported by AFP, a representative of Nicaraguans in Guatemala, Santos Mendez, described the killing as “an attempt to silence critical voices.” The United Nations expert group on Nicaragua also weighed in, urging countries that host Nicaraguan exiles to strengthen their protection, stating, “nowhere in the world seems to be safe for Nicaraguans opposed to the government.”
The investigation into Samcam’s murder has not ruled out the possibility of international involvement. As Zúñiga explained to the press, police are working to determine “whether we are indeed dealing with a political incursion from another government.” While authorities have not yet established a direct link to actors outside Costa Rica, the context of the crime—targeting a high-profile opponent of the Nicaraguan regime—has fueled speculation and concern among the exile community.
Details emerging from the investigation paint a picture of a plot executed by “inexperienced individuals” recruited from impoverished communities, as Zúñiga put it in a video message to journalists. This, coupled with the similarities to the attempted killing of Joao Salgado, suggests a disturbing pattern: exiled Nicaraguan opposition figures in Costa Rica are being targeted in attacks that, while amateurish in execution, are deadly serious in intent.
The Costa Rican response has been swift but cautious. Authorities have stressed the importance of a thorough investigation and have not rushed to publicly assign blame beyond those arrested. The head of Costa Rica’s judicial investigation body, Randall Zúñiga, emphasized that the search for the mastermind continues, and that the possibility of external orchestration remains open. “We have not determined who masterminded the killing or if there was any involvement to anyone outside Costa Rica,” he said, as reported by Reuters and the Associated Press.
For many observers, the killing of Samcam is a grim milestone in a broader campaign of intimidation that has escalated over the past year. In Nicaragua, a new wave of arrests and deaths among jailed opposition figures has led some to believe that First Lady Murillo is tightening her grip on power in preparation for a possible succession. As AFP notes, the government’s increasing authoritarianism has forced thousands more into exile, while Managua faces mounting international sanctions from the United States and European Union.
Despite the risks, exiled Nicaraguans continue to speak out. Samcam’s legacy, both as a military officer who broke ranks with the regime and as a chronicler of its abuses, remains a rallying point for those who hope for change in Nicaragua. For now, the arrests in Costa Rica offer a glimmer of hope for accountability, but the larger struggle for safety and justice continues—both for those who remain in Nicaragua and for the many who have been forced to flee.
The investigation into Roberto Samcam’s murder is far from over, but the events of the past week have underscored the persistent dangers faced by dissidents and the critical importance of international vigilance. As Costa Rica grapples with the implications of political violence on its soil, the eyes of the region—and the world—remain fixed on the fate of those who dare to challenge authoritarian rule.