Investigation · Human rights
Seven years later, no one charged in the prison killing of U.S. Navy veteran Eddy Montes
Eddy Montes, a dual U.S.-Nicaraguan citizen, was shot dead while held as a political prisoner in 2019. Nicaragua promised an investigation and never published results. Another U.S. citizen is in the same prison today.
On May 16, 2019, Eddy Antonio Montes Praslin was shot and killed inside La Modelo, the prison in Tipitapa officially named Sistema Penitenciario Jorge Navarro. He was a dual Nicaraguan-U.S. citizen jailed over the 2018 pro-democracy protests, and he was due for release under negotiations then under way, according to the State Department's 2019 human rights report.
Montes moved to the United States at 13, went to school in California and served in the U.S. Navy, a cousin told the Associated Press. AP gave his age as 56; La Prensa and EFE gave 57. Another cousin confirmed his U.S. citizenship to Reuters.
Two days after the shooting, State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus was direct: "Nicaraguan police killed one of these political prisoners — U.S. citizen Eddy Montes. We vehemently condemn the killing," she said, calling for "an immediate, thorough, and transparent investigation" (State Department statement).
What happened inside La Modelo
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) said riot police were sent in "with tear gas and firearms" while prisoners protested on a roof. One agent allegedly shot Montes from about 4 meters away. At least 26 people were injured, six of them prison staff. The commission urged Nicaragua to identify and punish those responsible.
Former prisoners have said he was left to bleed without medical care. That account comes from witnesses and has not been independently established. The guard who fired has never been publicly identified.
The government's version
Deputy Interior Minister Luis Cañas said a group of prisoners rushed security staff and struggled with a guard to take his rifle, and a shot hit Montes. The government said this happened while the International Committee of the Red Cross was visiting the prison (Reuters).
The State Department's 2019 report says forensic reports and eyewitness accounts contradicted the police version.
A promised investigation that never reported
U.S. Ambassador Kevin Sullivan met Foreign Minister Denis Moncada to demand a full investigation. On May 21, 2019, Deputy Foreign Minister Valdrack Jaentschke told the OAS Permanent Council that one was under way. No results were ever published, La Prensa reported. In September 2019 a human rights lawyer and a cousin filed a third written demand with prosecutors (La Prensa).
Less than a month after the killing, Nicaragua passed its 2019 Amnesty Law, which covers the case. On the fifth anniversary, the Colectivo Nicaragua Nunca Más called it a case of total impunity (EFE via swissinfo). Seven years on, no one has been charged.
No U.S. sanction tied to the killing
We found no U.S. Treasury or State Department sanction publicly tied to Montes's death. Treasury's July 2018 Nicaragua action came before he died.
On Feb. 18, 2026, the State Department designated Roberto Clemente Guevara Gómez, maximum-security director at La Modelo, under Section 7031(c) for "a gross violation of human rights of a political prisoner." The announcement does not name the prisoner. Nothing public links this designation to Montes.
A U.S. citizen in La Modelo now
Alain Piedra Hernández, 53, a U.S.-born coffee businessman, has been held in La Modelo since March 15, 2025, reportedly without charge and in isolation (La Prensa). He was reportedly due for release on Jan. 15, 2026, after U.S. Embassy efforts, but the government reversed course. On May 24, 2026, the IACHR granted him precautionary measures, citing risk to his life (La Mesa Redonda).
Why it matters: A U.S. citizen was killed in Nicaraguan state custody, Washington said so publicly, and the case has produced no charges and no public U.S. sanction. Another American now sits in the same prison.
What we don't know
The identity of the guard who fired. Whether Nicaragua's investigation ever existed beyond its announcement. Whether the Montes family has a petition before the IACHR; petitions stay confidential until admitted. Which prisoner the February 2026 designation refers to. Whether the U.S. Justice Department has ever opened a case; nothing public shows one.
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