Suspects charged in torture, murder of Hmong American comedian in Colombia

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, Colombian officials announced Thursday. The Prosecutor's Office said in a statement that two men and a woman were charged with the crimes of aggravated kidnapping for extortion and aggravated homicide in the death last month of Tou Ger Xiong, 50. The suspects denied the charges at a hearing, the statement said. A minor who presented himself to the Public Prosecutor's Office admitting to having participated in the crime also was charged in the case and transferred to a special detention center for minors, it added. The U.S. Embassy in Bogota warned a week ago about Colombian criminals who use dating apps to lure victims and then assault and rob them.