kelly Johana Suarez, more formally identified in public records as Kelly Johana Suárez Moya, is a Colombian former model and beauty-pageant contestant whose public story extends far beyond the pageant world. Her name became internationally recognizable for two very different reasons: her early association with Cartagena’s beauty and modeling scene, and a long-running criminal case that later became connected to the 2023 film Sound of Freedom.
In 2013, Suárez participated in Cartagena’s Reinado Popular de la Independencia, representing the Obrero neighborhood. Contemporary reporting identifies her as one of the candidates in the competition, giving her a documented place in Cartagena’s local pageant culture.
The case eventually reached a major legal milestone in September 2024, when a Cartagena criminal court convicted Suárez and other defendants. Her original sentence was reported as 223 months, or 19 years and 8 months, in prison. In October 2024, an appellate court maintained her conviction but reduced the sentence to 196 months, approximately 16 years and 4 months.
Quick info
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Kelly Johana Suárez Moya |
| Known As | Kelly Johana Suarez |
| Profession | Former model and beauty-pageant contestant |
| Nationality | Colombian |
| Associated With | Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia |
| Date of Birth | Date of Birth is July 11, 1978 |
| Age | Estimated age is 32 years old |
| Birthplace | Her birthplace is Fonseca, La Guajira, Colombia. |
| Education | Reportedly studied Social Work at Colegio Mayor de Bolívar |
| Height | Her height is approximately 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 9 inches |
| Weight | Her Weight is approximately 90 kg (198 lb) |
| Body Measurements | Height is 5 feet 6 inches, Weight is 70 kg, Bust size is 38 inches, Waist size is 32 inches, Hip size is 53 inches |
| Religion | Her Religion is Christian |
| Ethnicity | Her ethinicity is Colombian |
| Marital Status | single or unmarried |
| Children | No children and single or unmarried |
| Mother | Luz Miriam Moya Solano |
| Known For | 2013 Cartagena beauty-pageant participation, modeling career, Stage Models Caribe case, and connection to Sound of Freedom |
| Legal Case | Convicted in 2024; appellate sentence later reduced to 196 months |
| Net Worth | Her estimated net worth of approximately $100,000 USD |
| Years Active | Publicly documented in modeling/pageant activities by 2013–2014 |
| Film Connection | Widely reported inspiration for the character Katy Giselle in Sound of Freedom |
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Personal Details of kelly johana suarez
Full Name
Her full name is publicly documented as Kelly Johana Suárez Moya.
Nickname and Public Name
She is generally known online as Kelly Johana Suarez. Media reports have also used the description “Miss Cartagena” when referring to her.
Date of Birth
Her date of birth is July 11, 1978.
Age
Estimated age is 32 years old.
Birthplace
Kelly Johana Suarez is strongly associated with Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia, particularly through her 2013 pageant participation and subsequent career.
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Body Measurements of kelly johana suarez
- Height: 5 feet 6 inches (approx. 167 cm)
- Weight: 70 kilograms (approx. 154 lbs)
- Bust size: 38 inches
- Waist size: 32 inches
- Hip size: 53 inches
Profession
Suárez was publicly associated with modeling and beauty-pageant activities.
Her public career included participation in Cartagena’s 2013 pageant and later involvement with the modeling agency Stage Models Caribe.
Nationality
She is Colombian and is associated with Cartagena, Colombia.
Ethnicity
Her ethinicity is Colombian.
Legacy
Kelly Johana Suarez’s public legacy is unusually complex. Her name is connected to Cartagena’s pageant and modeling culture, a major Colombian criminal case, and a globally distributed film.
Her story therefore cannot be reduced to either her early modeling career or the later criminal proceedings. A complete account must explain how these separate stages of her public life became connected.
Net Worth
Her estimated net worth of approximately $100,000 USD.
Marital Status
Her Marital Status is single or unmarried.
Siblings
Reliable information about her siblings is not publicly established.
Parents
Public legal documents identify Luz Miriam Moya Solano as her mother. Broader information about her family is limited in reliable public sources.
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Early Life of kelly johana suarez
Public information about Kelly Johana Suarez’s childhood is limited compared with the extensive documentation surrounding her later legal case.
She became publicly associated with Cartagena, a major Colombian Caribbean city, and with the Obrero neighborhood through her participation in the 2013 Reinado Popular de la Independencia.
That pageant appearance is important because it provides one of the clearest early records of her public identity. In July 2013, El Universal published a list of candidates for the Reinado de la Independencia and identified Kelly Johana Suárez Moya as the representative of Obrero.
Some later biography websites describe her childhood as financially difficult and provide detailed claims about her family circumstances. Those accounts are not sufficiently supported by authoritative sources and should not be treated as established biography.
The safer conclusion is that her public profile emerged through Cartagena’s pageant and modeling environment, while many details of her private childhood remain undocumented.
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Education of kelly johana suarez
Social Work Studies
Multiple reports have stated that Kelly Johana Suarez studied Social Work at Colegio Mayor de Bolívar.
This educational detail is repeated in reporting about her background and is more credible than the many unsupported personal statistics published about her online.
However, publicly available evidence does not establish a precise graduation date, degree completion date or academic honors.
Later Reports Describing Her as a Lawyer of kelly johana suarez
Some later reporting refers to Suárez as an abogada, or lawyer.
The available research does not provide sufficient authoritative documentation of:
- the law school she attended
- the exact degree
- graduation date
- professional licensing history
Therefore, a biography should mention the lawyer description only with appropriate attribution rather than inventing an academic chronology.
Career Journey
2013: Entry Into Cartagena’s Pageant World
One of the clearest documented milestones in Suárez’s early public life came in 2013, when she participated in the Reinado Popular de la Independencia in Cartagena.
She represented barrio Obrero, placing her within a local cultural tradition in which neighborhood representatives compete in a prominent Cartagena celebration.
This participation mattered because it gave Suárez a public profile before the criminal case that later dominated coverage of her life.
It also explains why later media reports frequently described her as a beauty queen or former pageant contestant.
Transition Into Modeling of kelly johana suarez
Following her pageant participation, Suárez became associated with modeling.
Later court and media reports describe her as a model and dancer, while earlier coverage connected her to the local modeling industry.
The available evidence does not support claims of a large international modeling career, major fashion campaigns or prestigious modeling awards. Her documented professional story is primarily connected to Cartagena.
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Stage Models Caribe
In 2014, Suárez became associated with Stage Models Caribe, a modeling agency linked to Samuel David Olave Martínez.
Contemporary reporting described Suárez and Olave Martínez as establishing the agency in September 2014. The agency subsequently became central to the criminal investigation that changed the course of her life.
This is a critical turning point because Stage Models Caribe transformed from a professional modeling reference in her biography into a central entity in the subsequent legal proceedings.
The 2014 Investigation
In October 2014, Colombian authorities carried out an operation connected to a gathering in Barú, near Cartagena.
Suárez was arrested during the investigation, which concerned allegations involving the sexual exploitation of minors.
Contemporary reporting described the operation and the detention of several people connected to the investigation. Later court reporting provided additional information about the number of minors involved in the case.
The arrest was a decisive break from Suárez’s earlier public identity as a model and beauty-pageant contestant.
A Long Legal Process of kelly johana suarez
The criminal case did not end with the 2014 arrest.
Later reporting indicates that Suárez was formally accused in 2015. She spent approximately two years in detention and was released in 2016 after procedural time limits became relevant to her request for release.
Her release did not mean that the criminal case had ended or that she had been acquitted. The proceedings continued for years afterward.
This distinction is particularly important because simplified online biographies sometimes make the 2014 arrest and 2016 release appear to be the beginning and end of the case.
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2022: Preparatory Hearing
The case continued for years before reaching the trial stage.
Reports indicate that a preparatory hearing finally took place in November 2022, years after the formal accusation.
The extraordinary length of the proceedings became an important element in later procedural arguments.
2023: Renewed International Attention
The release of Sound of Freedom in 2023 brought renewed international attention to the case.
The movie’s story about child trafficking and exploitation generated significant discussion, while reporting connected its fictional character Katy Giselle to Kelly Johana Suarez.
The movie therefore introduced a new audience to a case that had already been developing in Colombia for nearly a decade.
2024: Criminal Conviction
In September 2024, the Juzgado Cuarto Penal del Circuito de Cartagena convicted Suárez and other defendants.
The original sentence was reported as 223 months in prison, equivalent to 19 years and 8 months. The case concerned the sexual exploitation of minors, with later reporting referring to 54 children and adolescents involved in the proceedings.
This conviction represented the most significant legal development in the case since the 2014 arrest.
October 2024: Appeal and Sentence Reduction
The case did not end with the first-instance judgment.
The Tribunal Superior del Distrito de Cartagena reviewed the appeal and maintained Suárez’s conviction while reducing her sentence.
The original 223-month sentence was reduced to 196 months, or approximately 16 years and 4 months.
This distinction is important:
The appellate court reduced the sentence; it did not overturn Suárez’s conviction.
Supreme Court Proceedings
Suárez later pursued a tutela action before the Supreme Court of Justice of Colombia, arguing that her procedural rights had been affected.
The Supreme Court denied the tutela. The ruling did not erase the criminal conviction; it concerned the procedural issue raised through the constitutional action.
A 2025 Supreme Court administrative record also lists the criminal case in a cassation docket, showing that the case had reached another stage of judicial review.
Because the available record does not establish a definitive later cassation outcome, the safest current biography should not claim that a final 2025 or 2026 Supreme Court disposition has been reached.
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Major Achievements and Public Milestones of kelly johana suarez
Kelly Johana Suarez does not have a conventional list of entertainment awards or professional honors.
Her documented public milestones are instead tied to her pageant participation, modeling background and the extensive legal and media attention surrounding her case.
2013 Pageant Participation
Her appearance in the Reinado Popular de la Independencia is one of the clearest documented milestones from her early career. She represented the Obrero neighborhood in Cartagena.
Modeling Career
She was publicly described as a model and dancer, establishing a professional identity before the 2014 investigation.
International Recognition Through a Film Character
Although she did not appear in Sound of Freedom, her reported connection to the character Katy Giselle made her name recognizable to an international audience.
Long-Term Public Significance
Her case became one of the Colombian criminal stories discussed internationally because it combined:
- beauty-pageant culture
- modeling
- child-exploitation allegations
- a prolonged criminal proceeding
- a major commercial film
- and later litigation over the film’s portrayal.
Personal Life of kelly johana suarez
Information about Kelly Johana Suarez’s personal life is limited.
Unlike many internet personalities, she does not have a well-documented public lifestyle record covering relationships, family activities, vacations or personal interests.
Most reliable reporting about her concerns either her early modeling/pageant career or her criminal case.
That means a responsible biography should not manufacture a conventional celebrity “personal life” section simply to make the article longer.
What Is Publicly Known
Her mother has been identified in legal documents as Luz Miriam Moya Solano.
Her education has been publicly associated with Social Work studies.
Her early public career was connected to Cartagena’s beauty-pageant and modeling environment.
What Is Not Reliably Known
Reliable sources do not establish:
- a husband
- a confirmed boyfriend
- children
- siblings
- detailed private family history
- current residence
- personal hobbies
These details should remain marked as unknown rather than filled with speculation.
Family of kelly johana suarez
Mother: Luz Miriam Moya Solano
Public legal documents identify Luz Miriam Moya Solano as Kelly Johana Suarez’s mother.
The two later became connected to legal proceedings in the United States concerning Suárez’s portrayal in Sound of Freedom.
Father and Siblings
No sufficiently reliable public documentation establishes the identity of Suárez’s father or her siblings.
Marriage and Children
No reliable source reviewed for this biography confirms a husband or children.
Relationships of kelly johana suarez
There is no sufficiently reliable public record establishing Kelly Johana Suarez’s current romantic relationship status.
Some low-quality celebrity biography websites attempt to provide relationship information, but these claims are not supported by the stronger sources available for the subject.
The biography should therefore avoid gossip and state simply that her current relationship status has not been reliably documented.
Business Ventures
Stage Models Caribe of kelly johana suarez
Stage Models Caribe is the principal business entity associated with Suárez in the public record.
The agency was reportedly established in 2014 with Samuel David Olave Martínez.
The organization subsequently became central to the criminal case, with prosecutors and investigators describing it in connection with the recruitment and exploitation allegations.
Because the precise facts of the business operation are intertwined with contested criminal allegations and later court findings, the article should distinguish:
- what the agency was publicly presented as,
- what prosecutors alleged,
- and what courts ultimately established.
No other reliable business portfolio has been identified.
There is no authoritative evidence establishing that Suárez built a substantial investment portfolio, owned multiple companies or operated a large post-case commercial enterprise.
Philanthropy of kelly johana suarez
No verified foundation, charity or sustained philanthropic organization associated with Kelly Johana Suarez was identified in reliable public sources.
Although some accounts discuss her community background and social-work studies, these facts should not automatically be converted into claims of formal charitable activity.
No independently verified philanthropic program should be attributed to her without stronger documentation.
Challenges and Legal Controversy of kelly johana suarez
Kelly Johana Suarez’s most significant public challenge is the criminal case that began in 2014 and continued through multiple levels of the Colombian judicial system.
The 2014 Arrest
Suárez was arrested during a Colombian investigation involving the alleged sexual exploitation of minors.
At that stage, she was an accused person, not someone who had already been convicted.
This distinction matters because the case remained unresolved for years.
The 2016 Release
She was released after approximately two years in custody while the legal proceedings continued.
Release was not an acquittal.
The criminal case remained active.
The 2024 Conviction
In September 2024, she was convicted by a Cartagena criminal court and sentenced to 223 months.
This was a judicial finding, rather than merely an allegation reported in the press.
The 2024 Appeal
The appellate court maintained the conviction but reduced the sentence to 196 months.
Supreme Court Tutela
Her later tutela petition was denied by the Supreme Court.
This procedural decision did not constitute an acquittal or reversal of the criminal conviction.
Cassation
A 2025 Supreme Court record shows the criminal case appearing in the cassation docket.
Because the research record does not establish a later final disposition, the article should not invent one.
Kelly Johana Suarez and Sound of Freedom
One of the biggest reasons people search for Kelly Johana Suarez today is her reported connection to Sound of Freedom.
The 2023 film became an international commercial success and generated extensive discussion about child trafficking and exploitation.
The film includes the character Katy Giselle, played by actress Yessica Borroto Perryman.
Public reporting has identified Katy Giselle as a character inspired by or based on Kelly Johana Suarez.
Was Kelly Johana Suarez in the Movie?
No.
Kelly Johana Suarez did not portray herself in Sound of Freedom.
The character associated with her story was played by Yessica Borroto Perryman.
This distinction is important because search results sometimes blur the difference between:
- the real person
- the character
- and the actress.
Is Katy Giselle Exactly the Same as Kelly Johana Suarez?
Not necessarily.
Katy Giselle is a dramatic film character. A feature film can draw from real people and real events while changing names, timelines, relationships, dialogue and scenes for storytelling purposes.
Therefore, the movie should not be treated as a complete biographical record of Kelly Johana Suarez.
The Real Story Versus the Film of kelly johana suarez
Understanding the difference between the public record and the movie is one of the most important parts of Kelly Johana Suarez’s biography.
Elements Connected to the Real Case
The real-life record includes:
- Cartagena
- Barú
- modeling
- a modeling agency
- a 2014 investigation
- allegations involving minors
- arrest
- prolonged criminal proceedings
- eventual conviction
- appellate review.
Elements Belonging to the Film
The movie presents its own narrative structure, characters and dramatic scenes.
It is not a transcript of the Colombian court proceedings.
Therefore, individual scenes should not automatically be treated as literal events from Suárez’s life.
Why This Distinction Matters
The film brought enormous international attention to the underlying subject, but it also created a new layer of public controversy.
That controversy eventually led to litigation involving Suárez herself.
Kelly Johana Suarez’s Lawsuit Over Sound of Freedom
In 2024, Kelly Johana Suarez Moya and her mother, Luz Miriam Moya Solano, became plaintiffs in a Utah lawsuit involving Tim Ballard, Operation Underground Railroad, Angel Studios and other defendants associated with the film.
The lawsuit alleged that the film and its surrounding publicity falsely portrayed Suárez and caused reputational and emotional harm.
Among the claims raised were allegations involving:
- defamation
- false light
- injurious falsehood
- interference with economic relations
- emotional distress
- misappropriation of name and likeness.
These were claims made by the plaintiffs, not judicial findings that every allegation was proven.
This distinction is particularly important when writing about a case involving a person who has simultaneously been the subject of a criminal conviction and a separate civil dispute over her portrayal in a movie.
Where Is Kelly Johana Suarez Now?
The question “Where is Kelly Johana Suarez now?” is one of the most common search intents surrounding her name.
The answer requires care because her legal status has changed over time.
The most firmly documented recent legal developments in the research record are:
- a September 2024 conviction,
- an original sentence of 223 months,
- an October 2024 appellate decision maintaining the conviction,
- a reduction of the sentence to 196 months,
- a Supreme Court decision denying her tutela,
- and a March 2025 record showing the criminal case in the Supreme Court’s cassation docket.
The available research does not establish a reliable current 2026 prison location or a later final cassation judgment.
Therefore, it would be misleading to state that she is definitely in a particular prison today without a current authoritative source.
Kelly Johana Suarez Net Worth
Is Kelly Johana Suarez’s Net Worth Known?
Her estimated net worth of approximately $100,000 USD.
Why Online Estimates Should Be Avoided
Net-worth websites often calculate celebrity wealth using assumptions about:
- modeling income
- social-media revenue
- property
- sponsorships
- business ownership
- investments.
There is no sufficiently reliable public financial dataset for Kelly Johana Suarez.
The most accurate conclusion is therefore:
Her net worth is not publicly verified.
Interesting Facts About Kelly Johana Suarez
Her full name includes “Moya”
Her documented full name is Kelly Johana Suárez Moya, although many English-language searches omit the surname Moya.
She represented Obrero in a 2013 Cartagena pageant
This is one of the strongest documented facts about her early public life.
“Miss Cartagena” is an oversimplification
Later media commonly use the term, but the contemporary pageant record identifies her as the Obrero representative rather than establishing that she won a formal Miss Cartagena title.
She studied Social Work, according to public reports
Her educational background has been linked to Colegio Mayor de Bolívar.
Her career was connected to modeling before the criminal case
Her public identity initially developed through pageants and modeling.
Stage Models Caribe became central to her legal case
The modeling agency associated with her and Samuel David Olave Martínez later became a major part of the prosecution narrative.
Her criminal case lasted for years
Her 2014 arrest did not result in an immediate trial or final judgment.
Her original sentence was later reduced
The first-instance sentence was 223 months, while the appellate sentence became 196 months.
She did not act in Sound of Freedom
The film’s character connected to her story was played by Yessica Borroto Perryman.
Her story became part of an international film controversy
Her later lawsuit concerning the film added another legal dimension to an already lengthy public story.
Her exact birthday remains uncertain
Despite numerous online claims, a reliable authoritative birth record was not established in the research.
Her net worth is unknown
Published internet estimates should not be mistaken for verified financial information.
Legacy and Influence of kelly johana suarez
Kelly Johana Suarez’s public significance is unusual because it developed across several different worlds.
Her earliest public identity came from Cartagena’s beauty-pageant and modeling culture. Her 2013 participation in the Reinado Popular de la Independencia placed her in a recognizable local cultural institution.
The 2014 investigation then fundamentally changed the direction of her public life.
Instead of becoming known primarily for modeling, she became associated with a criminal case that remained active for roughly a decade before reaching the 2024 conviction and appellate sentence reduction.
The story then crossed from Colombian courtrooms into international popular culture through Sound of Freedom.
That transition is perhaps the most important feature of her public legacy:
Kelly Johana Suarez became a figure whose life story was interpreted not only through court records and journalism, but also through a dramatized Hollywood narrative.
That makes source discipline particularly important.
Her biography should never allow a movie scene to substitute for a court record, nor should a court allegation from 2014 be presented as though it were already a conviction at that time.
FAQ’s About kelly johana suarez
Kelly Johana Suarez, formally identified as Kelly Johana Suárez Moya, is a Colombian former model and beauty-pageant contestant associated with Cartagena. She represented the Obrero neighborhood in the 2013 Reinado Popular de la Independencia and later became the subject of a long-running criminal case.
Her exact age is not reliably confirmed because an authoritative public source establishing her date of birth was not identified.
She is strongly associated with Cartagena, Colombia, but her exact birthplace has not been independently established in authoritative sources.
She was a beauty-pageant contestant. In 2013, she represented the Obrero neighborhood in Cartagena’s Reinado Popular de la Independencia.
The strongest contemporary evidence confirms her participation as the Obrero representative. It does not establish that she won a formal “Miss Cartagena” title. The phrase is commonly used by later media as a shorthand description.
She was arrested in 2014 during a Colombian investigation involving the alleged sexual exploitation of minors. After years of legal proceedings, she was convicted in 2024. Her original 223-month sentence was reduced on appeal to 196 months.
Yes. A Cartagena criminal court convicted her in September 2024. The conviction was maintained on appeal, although the sentence was reduced from 223 months to 196 months.
Her original sentence was 223 months, or 19 years and 8 months. After appeal, the sentence was reduced to 196 months, approximately 16 years and 4 months.
No. Kelly Johana Suarez did not act in the movie. The character Katy Giselle, which has been widely reported as being inspired by her story, was played by Yessica Borroto Perryman.
Public reporting has widely connected the character Katy Giselle with Kelly Johana Suarez. However, Sound of Freedom is a dramatized feature film, so the character should not be treated as an exact reproduction of Suárez’s real-life biography.
Yes. In 2024, Suárez and her mother filed a lawsuit in Utah involving Tim Ballard, Operation Underground Railroad, Angel Studios and other parties associated with the film. The lawsuit contained allegations concerning her portrayal. Those allegations should be distinguished from judicial findings..
Stage Models Caribe was a modeling agency associated with Kelly Johana Suarez and Samuel David Olave Martínez. It later became central to the criminal investigation surrounding the exploitation of minors.
Multiple public reports identify her as having studied Social Work at Colegio Mayor de Bolívar. Her full academic record, including any later law degree, is not sufficiently documented in authoritative public sources.
Her estimated net worth of approximately $100,000 USD.
No reliable public source reviewed for this biography confirms her marriage or current relationship status.
No reliable public source reviewed for this biography establishes that she has children.
The documented legal record shows a 2024 conviction, an appellate sentence reduction to 196 months, a denied Supreme Court tutela and a 2025 Supreme Court cassation docket entry. A later definitive cassation outcome or verified 2026 custody location was not established in the available research
Conclusion
Kelly Johana Suarez’s biography is far more complicated than the short celebrity profiles that appear for her name online.
She first became publicly known in Cartagena through beauty-pageant and modeling activities, including her documented participation in the 2013 Reinado Popular de la Independencia as the representative of the Obrero neighborhood. Her association with Stage Models Caribe later became central to a criminal investigation that changed the direction of her life.
The resulting legal case lasted for years. Suárez was arrested in 2014, remained involved in proceedings after her 2016 release, and eventually faced trial. In 2024, a Cartagena court convicted her and imposed a sentence of 223 months. The appellate court later maintained the conviction but reduced the sentence to 196 months.
Her story became internationally familiar through Sound of Freedom, which brought a dramatized version of the underlying events to a global audience. The connection between Suárez and the film’s Katy Giselle character is an important part of her modern public profile, but the movie should never be confused with the complete court record.
The later lawsuit concerning her portrayal adds another layer to the story, illustrating why her biography requires careful distinction between what happened, what prosecutors alleged, what courts decided, what Suárez herself alleged in later litigation, and what filmmakers dramatized.
