Las entrevistas de Julio Sánchez Cristo · Julio Sánchez Cristo y Caracol Pódcast

Juan Pablo ESCOBAR revive los últimos momentos de su padre Pablo

April 6, 2026·58 min·4 clips

Juan Pablo explains how his father planned his own suicide, consulting doctors to ensure a fatal shot to the ear.

1. This second part of Juan Pablo Escobar's interview with Julio Sánchez Cristo on W Radio continues the discussion of 'Pablo Escobar, Mi Padre' with new revelations about Pablo's death, the family's survival, and political corruption. 2. Juan Pablo is the son of Pablo Escobar and author of a book co-written with journalist Edgar Téllez and published by Editorial Planeta, based on a year of investigation and thousands of family documents. 3. The central question of the first segment is who killed Pablo Escobar on December 2nd, 1993, and whether he shot himself or was killed by the Search Bloc or its allies. 4. Juan Pablo reveals that Carlos Castaño admitted to his mother during post-Pablo peace negotiations that he participated in the operation on December 2nd, describing specific details including that Pablo shot Castaño in the bulletproof vest, giving Pablo a few additional seconds of life. 5. Juan Pablo presents forensic evidence for suicide: Pablo had told him many times he had 15 Sig Sauer bullets — 14 for enemies, one for himself — and had consulted doctors to identify the exact location (the ear) that would guarantee death rather than leaving him disabled. 6. The necropsy documents a precise shot trajectory through the ear that Juan Pablo says matches Pablo's stated plan exactly; two additional bullet wounds (shoulder and thigh) show inconsistencies in the photographic record that Juan Pablo attributes to threats against the examining doctors. 7. Roberto Escobar, known as El Osito, is described as having collaborated with the DEA from 1988, with DEA representatives visiting him for hours at Itagüí prison in Medellín in the months before Pablo's death. 8. Pablo told Juan Pablo on the day of their last separation that Roberto might help the family if Pablo died and Roberto kept money, but warned Juan Pablo to protect his sister Manuela because Roberto was 'capable of' harmful actions if left without funds — a revelation that shocked Juan Pablo given his belief in their relationship. 9. Juan Pablo describes his meeting with Joe Toft, identified as the head of the DEA for Latin America: he was directed to the US Embassy by Roberto using a code, was admitted without being searched, and asked for refuge in the United States; Toft offered nothing unless Juan Pablo provided information against the Cali Cartel, which Juan Pablo refused. 10. US authorities separately offered the Escobar family visas and permission to transfer money to the United States in exchange for making false declarations implicating Vladimir Montesinos and Alberto Fujimori in a connection to Pablo; the family refused and went without US visas for over 20 years. 11. After Pablo's death, the Cali Cartel told Juan Pablo's mother: 'There will be peace, but we are going to kill your son.' Gilberto Rodríguez compared Juan Pablo to Pablo, saying he 'walks like a duck, talks like a duck.' 12. Juan Pablo's mother pledged her own life as a guarantee of her son's future behaviour; the Cartel accepted, partly because they were exhausted by the level of violence the conflict had reached. 13. Juan Pablo says he has honoured that commitment for over 20 years, living as an architect, and expresses a form of gratitude toward the Cali Cartel leaders for sparing his life despite the death sentence. 14. The family surrendered the entirety of Pablo's assets to the Cartel after his death; they were also pressed to contribute $300,000 toward the campaign that benefited Ernesto Samper (the Cartel's emissaries referred to 'the next president' without naming Samper at the time). 15. The episode covers Pablo's early criminal career: falsifying school diplomas, stealing cars (including a Renault 4 in his first arrest in 1973), robbing theatre ticket booths, and early contrabanding with cousin Gustavo Gaviria. 16. Pablo's entry into politics under the mayor of Envigado is described as his worst mistake; his mother-in-law warned him with the phrase 'rabo de paja no se acerca a la candela' (he who has a guilty conscience should not go near the fire). 17. On the Barry Seal affair: a famous photograph of Pablo helping load a plane was the first concrete evidence linking him to drug trafficking; Seal, a DEA informant, was later killed by one of Pablo's hitmen in Miami. 18. Juan Pablo describes living in Panama under General Noriega's protection when he was approximately seven years old, noting the contradiction of seeing police officers guarding a mansion while his father was being hunted by those same authorities. 19. The interview format is detailed and combative; Sánchez Cristo repeatedly challenges Juan Pablo on specific episodes, and Juan Pablo responds with documentary and forensic specifics as well as personal recollections. 20. Best suited for listeners engaged with Colombian contemporary history, organised crime, and the specific forensic and political questions surrounding Pablo Escobar's death and legacy.

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