Escobar had a policy when dealing with law enforcement and government officials called "plato o plomo" that translates literally to "silver or lead," meaning take a bribe or die. This led to the death of hundreds if not thousands of people as Escobar would pay anyone who killed his enemies very well.
Some of the more noteworthy murders he is thought to be responsible for are a Columbian presidential candidate and the murders of almost half of the Columbian Supreme Court Justices in 1985 in what is known as The Palace of Justice Siege.
The attack against the Supreme Court of Columbia was done by a guerrilla group called M-19, but is thought to have been partially bankrolled by Pablo Escobar. This was later confirmed by Virginia Vallejo who was romantically involved with Escobar at the time.
Although Pablo Escobar was responsible for countless horrible acts, he isn't viewed as a bad person by all. He worked hard to gain a Robin Hood-like image by giving back to the lower class in Columbia. He built hospitals, schools, churches and soccer fields throughout western Columbia. Because of this, the people of Medelln, where Escobar lived, often helped him by doing whatever they could to protect him.
Pablo Escobar died in December of 1993 at the age of 44 when he was shot by the Columbian National Police while trying to escape after being located in hiding by the use of radio triangulation. Nobody has ever found out who took the killing shot.
Because of his popularity with the locals, about 25,000 people were present for his burial.
