In February 1964, he married Augusta la Torre, who was instrumental in founding Shining Path, who died under unclear circumstances in 1988. It has been rumored that she was murdered by Elena Iparraguirre, a long-time lieutenant of Guzmán's and his lover, with his complicity. Both have refused to talk about La Torre's fate since their imprisonment. In the fall of 2006, while in prison, Guzmán proposed to Iparraguirre, who is also serving a life sentence in a separate prison. After fighting for the permission to marry with a hunger strike, the couple wed in late August 2010.