Quito, Oct. 17 -- An Ecuadorian criminal court judge was shot dead on Thursday in the town of Montecristi, in western Manabi province, where violent crime has surged, local media reported.
Judge Marcos Mendoza was shot to death outside a school while dropping off his children, according to his relatives.
Preliminary reports indicate that an armed assailant on a motorcycle intercepted the judge and opened fire.
Police officers cordoned off the area and collected ballistic evidence as part of the investigation.
The judge was linked to an alleged money laundering case under investigation by the Attorney General's Office, said the report.
More than a dozen people involved in the case are being prosecuted, including Jose Adolfo Macias Villa...