by Rod Hughes

Although fraud laws makes it a misdemeanor to profess to deal in witchcraft, in the far corners of the country a few believers still fear sorcery. This is the motive given for the murder of a 24-year-old man in the Guaymi area of southern Costa Rica

The murder of Joaquin Bejarano took place Sunday in an area so remote that it is accessible only by foot. Police say that two indigenous brothers named Garcia, 24 and 32, confessed that they had killed the victim for placing a spell on relatives, according to La Nacion.

Apparently they were quite open in their belief that their act was justified to “free the people” from the supposed shaman’s sorcery, according to police.