He served as a member of the National Assembly from 2021 until the dissolution of the legislative body on 17 May 2023, which caused the 2023 Ecuadorian political crisis and a snap election.

[6] During his investigative career at El Universo, he was critical of various governments including that of Gustavo Noboa, whom he accused of corruption.

[8][9] The New York Times reported that leaked chat logs from 2015 show that Assange and his inner circle were aware of the documents, which were not published by WikiLeaks.

[8] In December 2018, WikiLeaks alleged that Villavicencio was a "serial fabricator" involved in a story in The Guardian which claimed that U.S. President Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort had met Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy.

[10] Whilst TheGuardian.com identified the story as having been written only by Dan Collyns and Luke Harding, the print edition mentioned Villavicencio's name as a third author.

[10][11] In the early hours of September 3, 2022, he was the victim of an attack, his home was hit by bullets, for which he received the solidarity of a group of assembly members.

[14][15] During this time, Jiménez and Villavicencio accused President Rafael Correa of having ordered an armed incursion at a hospital during a police revolt in September 2010.

[2] He traveled to Washington, D.C., seeking assistance from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, but when he returned to Ecuador, he already had an arrest warrant against him.

[31] On 9 August 2023 at 18:20 (ET), Villavicencio was shot in the head while entering a vehicle shortly after concluding a campaign rally at the Colegio Anderson in the northern part of Quito.

[33] Villavicencio had received multiple death threats; including one from the Sinaloa Cartel during his presidential campaign, with the most recent being a week prior to the shooting.

[21] Presidential candidates Yaku Pérez, Xavier Hervas, Otto Sonnenholzner, and Luisa González expressed their condolences and condemned the attack.

[21][23] Former President Correa remarked on his killing that Ecuador had become a "failed state" and warned that "those who try to sow more hate" with his death "will only continue to destroy us".

[39] The electoral observation mission of the Organization of American States (OAS), due to begin arriving in Ecuador the following day, issued a statement in which it condemned the murder, shared the grief and consternation of the Ecuadorian people, and called on the authorities to conduct a thorough and comprehensive investigation.

[47] Two days later on 11 August, a public memorial for Villavicencio was held at the Quito Exhibition Center followed by a private funeral for relatives and associates.

[48] On 12 July 2024, a court in Quito sentenced Carlos Angulo, the alleged leader of the Los Lobos gang, and Laura Castilla to 34 years' imprisonment for ordering the assassination.