Death in Managua

June 20, 1979 – Sandinista rebels were on the cusp of taking control of Nicaragua’s capital city, Managua. Bill Stewart was a 37-year-old reporter covering the civil war for ABC.

As Stewart and his Nicaraguan interpreter, Juan Espinoza, approached a military roadblock, Stewart held out his press credentials to the soldiers manning the barricade. The two men were separated by the guards. Stewart was ordered to lie face down, then a soldier kicked him in the ribs before shooting him in the back of the head. Stewart died instantly. Espinoza was also shot and killed.

Stewart’s cameraman, Jack Clark, was filming from a nearby newsvan, and he captured the moment when the journalist was killed. The video of the execution aired around the world and raised international awareness about the brutality and ruthlessness of President Somoza’s regime, which in the days leading up to the incident had been circulating stories about foreign reporters being part of a communist conspiracy to spread anti-government propaganda.

It’s unclear if anyone was ever brought to justice for the murders of Stewart and Espinoza, but the outrage it generated helped hasten the end of the Somoza dictatorship, which was overthrown less than a month later.