December 2, 1993: Pablo Escobar Is Killed

December 2, 1993: Pablo Escobar is killed. The "King of Cocaine" was a day past his 44th birthday.

Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was born on December 1, 1949 in Rionegro, Colombia. In 1976, he founded the Medellín Cartel, and established the first smuggling routes from Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, through Colombia and eventually into the United States. Escobar's infiltration into the U.S. created exponential demand for cocaine, and, by the 1980s, it was estimated Escobar led monthly shipments of 70 to 80 tons of cocaine into the country from Colombia.

He became the wealthiest criminal in history, worth about $30 billion at the time of his death. But he constantly battled rival cartels, domestically and abroad, leading to massacres and the murders of police officers, judges, locals, and prominent politicians.

Like many famous criminals, he compensated with charitable works. In the 1982 Colombian parliamentary election, he was elected as an alternate member of the Chamber of Representatives, as a member of the Liberal Party. Through this, he was responsible for community projects such as the construction of houses and football fields, which gained him popularity among the locals of the towns that he frequented.

However, Escobar's political ambitions were thwarted by the Colombian and U.S. governments, who routinely pushed for his arrest, with Escobar widely believed to have retaliated by orchestrating the Avianca Flight 203 and DAS Building bombings, both in 1989.

In 1991, Escobar surrendered to authorities, and was sentenced to 5 years' imprisonment on a host of charges, but struck a deal of no extradition with Colombian President César Gaviria, with the ability of being housed in his own, self-built prison, La Catedral. He knew how to escape, and, in 1992, he did.

He went into hiding, leading to a nationwide manhunt. As a result, the Medellín Cartel crumbled, and on December 2, 1993, the Colombian National Police found Escobar in his hometown, and shot him in the head.

He was seen as a Robin Hood-like figure for many in Colombia, as he provided many amenities to the poor. His killing was mourned and his funeral attended by over 25,000 people. Additionally, his private estate, Hacienda Nápoles, has been transformed into a theme park.

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December 2, 1993 was a Thursday. Baseball was out of season. Football was in midweek. There were 5 games played in the NBA:

* The New York Knicks lost to the Houston Rockets, 94-85 at Madison Square Garden.

* The Seattle SuperSonics beat the Washington Bullets, 105-95 at the USAir Arena (formerly the Capital Centre) in the Washington suburb of Landover, Maryland.

* The Phoenix Suns beat the Detroit Pistons, 102-101 at The Palace in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan.

* The Utah Jazz beat the Indiana Pacers, 103-87 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

* And the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Golden State Warriors, 103-91 at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.

And there were 6 games in the NHL:

* The New York Islanders lost to the Boston Bruins, 7-3 at the Boston Garden.

* The New Jersey Devils played the Pittsburgh Penguins to a tie, 2-2 at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh.

* The Florida Panthers beat the Buffalo Sabres, 2-1 at the Miami Arena. Jesse Bélanger scored the winning goal, just 23 seconds into overtime.

* The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the St. Louis Blues, 5-4 at the St. Louis Arena.

* The established Los Angeles Kings played the expansion Mighty Ducks of Anaheim for the 1st time. The Kings won, 3-2 at The Forum outside Los Angeles in Inglewood, California.

* And the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Vancouver Canucks, 6-3 at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver.