Black Shadow, a Feared Kidnapping Leader in the 2000s, Was Gunned Down in a Fight.

Sergio Orlando Leiva, known as "El Negro Sombra," was shot dead in the San Pablo neighborhood, in what is presumed to be a drug-related settling of scores.

The crime occurred early Monday morning in Tigre, while he was serving a sentence under parole. Officers from the Buenos Aires Police Patrol Commandfound him seriously injured and took him to a hospital, where he eventually died.

A past marked by kidnappings and murders

Leiva had been convicted in 2007 for multiple crimes and, since 2019, had enjoyed the benefit of parole with an electronic ankle bracelet. His criminal record linked him to extortion kidnappings that marked the early 2000s.

One of his most notorious crimes was the kidnapping of Jorge "Corcho" Rodríguez's father, ex-husband of Susana Giménez, in 2003, for which he received a 15-year prison sentence. He was also sentenced to 21 years for the murder of young men Mariano Menéndez and Guillermo Lindon in 2002, and to 23 years for the kidnapping, torture, and abuse of Mirta Fernández in 2003.

Despite the evidence against him, Leiva always denied his involvement in several of these crimes. He claimed that there were many people with his same nickname in the neighborhoods and stated that, although he was a thief, he was not a ruthless criminal.

His criminal record and the most shocking kidnapping

Additionally, Leiva was involved in the kidnappings of the father of former River coach, Leonardo Astrada, and of Pablo Belluscio, who was held captive for 43 days and suffered the amputation of a finger. In all cases, the kidnappers intercepted their victims with vehicles occupied by armed men, demanded a million pesos in ransom, and threatened mutilations. In some cases, they carried out the threat.

The most remembered kidnapping was that of Ernesto Rodríguez, 74 years old, which occurred on December 23, 2003, near his estate in General Rodríguez. The victim spent 43 days chained to a bed, suffered extreme mistreatment, and had a gun cocked at his head to intimidate him.

The El Talar Prosecutor's Unit, led by prosecutor Karen Bianchi, is investigating Leiva's murder to clarify the facts and determine those responsible for his death.