TIJUANA, Mexico — Communications shared between the criminals who are accused of planning the murder of Tijuana photojournalist Margarito Martínez Esquivel shows the group mistakenly believed Martínez was responsible for publishing information that exposed the network of a violent criminal group, according to the Baja California Attorney General.
Fresh details about the case were first reported by the news organization Punto Norte and an update was given Monday by Attorney General Ricardo Iván Carpio.
Carpio confirmed that one of the people allegedly responsible for killing Martínez is a U.S. citizen, among other details first reported by Punto Norte.
Martínez, who covered crime and security issues in Tijuana, was shot to death Jan. 17 outside his home as he left for work. A month earlier, he had made an official complaint about threats he had received while working as a journalist and was in the process of seeking protection under a government program.
He also worked as a “fixer” assisting international news outlets including the BBC, as well as the Los Angeles Times and the San Diego Union-Tribune.
During a news conference late Monday afternoon, Carpio said Martínez could have been killed because of his professional work as a journalist “and also because he made these people uncomfortable.”
“Yes, there was disagreement on the part of the aggressors regarding the work that Margarito had been carrying out because at some point they thought that it was related to various circumstances that had been occurring against the criminal group — by deduction of the participants themselves — and this also includes the possibility that they considered that Margarito Martínez could be the person behind certain publications in various portals and media,” said Carpio.
Texts, WhatsApp messages, voice recordings and videos sent between several of the people detained by the Baja California Attorney General’s office show the criminal group began planning the fatal attack on Martínez immediately after the weekly investigative news magazine Zeta published the report “Las células de ‘El Cabo 20'” or “The cells of El Cabo 20,” according to Punto Norte.
During a search of a home conducted on Feb. 25, prosecutors obtained a cell phone that showed communications between José Heriberto N., alias “El Huesos,” and Christian Adan N., alias “El Cabo 16.” The group communications also included a man named Adrián Nicolás, alias “El Uber,” who is a 24-year-old U.S. citizen, according to Carpio.
In Mexico, the last names of defendants are not given until they are found guilty in court.
Evidence shows the group that planned the murder waited outside the photojournalist’s home, paid 20,000 pesos — or about $939 in U.S. currency — to the person who pulled the trigger and made their get away on a motorcycle.
Later, they shared video between themselves of Martínez being killed and celebrated erroneous news reports floated by the Tijuana police that the 49-year-old photojournalist had been in a drunken brawl with a neighbor.
Punto Norte reported messages also show the group discussed sending spies to Martínez’s wake to report back what his friends and family were saying about his murder.
Carpio said investigators have discovered the missing cell phone of Martínez, which was initially taken from the scene of the crime. When asked if that piece of evidence was important to the investigation, Carpio responded that all of the evidence in the case is very important, but some pieces of evidence “have greater relevance in our intelligence, in our understanding and treatment that we have given to this investigation.”
He said the firearm used to murder Martínez has not yet been recovered, but investigators were likely to retrieve it.
Ten suspects were detained on Feb. 25 during a joint federal and state operation that involved search warrants being executed at six different locations. David López Jiménez, alias “Cabo 20,” the leader of the criminal group, was not included in those arrested. Carpio said the investigation is ongoing.
Carpio said each defendant is facing 60 years in prison if convicted.
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