Carmen Villalobos broke down in tears while dedicating her award at the India Catalina Awards to the two members of the production team of Sin senos sí hay paraíso who lost their lives last Saturday during the filming of the series in Bogotá.
The incident occurred on April 19 in the Los Laches neighborhood of Santa Fe, in the Colombian capital, when a man attacked a team member with a scalpel without uttering a word, triggering a brawl that resulted in the deaths of three people: the two victims from the team and the attacker himself.
The victims of the production team have been identified as Henry Alberto Benavides Cárdenas, 45 years old, a truck driver for productions, and Nicolás Francisco Perdomo Corrales, 18 years old, a transportation producer.
The aggressor was identified as José Cubillos García, approximately 23 years old, who also died during the confrontation. A fourth person was critically injured and was taken to Hospital San Ignacio.
The brigadier general Giovanni Cristancho, commander of the Bogotá Metropolitan Police, described the events: "In the afternoon, in a public place, a man attacked a citizen without any words exchanged; then, people who were present in this location stepped in to defend the victim. Unfortunately, as a result of this brawl, the aggressor and two other victims died."
The authorities ruled out robbery as a motive and classified the incident as a "act of intolerance". Four individuals connected to the production were arrested and are now in the custody of the Colombian Prosecutor's Office. The investigation is ongoing, involving analysis of security cameras and witness testimonies.
Villalobos learned about the tragedy while attending the India Catalina Awards gala in Cartagena, where she received the award for Best Leading Actress. With a shaky voice, she dedicated the award to her colleagues: "Unfortunately, today I have a broken heart due to something that happened in the project I am working on today, my heart is with the families of the production today, I dedicate this from here to the heavens."
Hours later, the actress posted a message of mourning on Instagram in which she acknowledged that "it has been very sad hours amid a joy" and emphasized the bond that is forged on a set: "When we are on a project, we all become family. We share more with our filming colleagues than with our loved ones."
Villalobos also dedicated individual messages to each victim. To Nicolás, he wrote: "To you, Nico, may God welcome you into His holy kingdom. You always had the best attitude and energy. I will always remember you as you were, a being full of light, good vibes, positive energy, and a beautiful soul." About Henry, the production truck driver, he noted that he was "one of the invisible ones on set, one of those that almost no one sees, but without whom nothing works."
Other members of the cast also expressed their sorrow. Carolina Gaitán shared a photograph of Nicolás Perdomo with the words: "I had to capture your smile because it always brightened my day, I honor your life and I will miss you, may God hold you close at this moment, my beautiful Nico." Majida Issa, Catherine Siachoque, Gregorio Pernía, Fabián Ríos, and Luigi Vega joined the movement on social media under the message "Silence on set."
Telemundo issued an official statement confirming the incident and clarified that "no employee or talent from Telemundo was affected".
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