De la Cruz's body and two other bodies were recovered from a clandestine grave in Las Choapas. Five suspects, including a bar owner were taken into custody.
By H. Nelson Goodson
February 12, 2014
Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico - The body of Gregorio Jiménez de la Cruz, a reporter for Notisur and El Liberal del Sur was discovered in a clandestine grave in the municipality of Las Choapas with two other bodies. De la Cruz's body was taken back to his home. On February 5, a group of armed men invaded his home and kidnapped him.
State authorities arrested four men in connection with De la Cruz murder. The suspects were identified as Santos González Santiago, Jesús Antonio Pérez Herrera and Juan Manuel Rodríguez Hernández. They confessed to authorities, that they were hired by Teresa de Jesús Hernández Cruz, who operates El Bar del Mamey, to kidnap and kill De la Cruz. She paid $1,500 U.S. dollars to the suspects, to murder De la Cruz.
Amadeo Flores, the Veracruz State Justice Attorney during a press conference reported, that state authorities on Tuesday detained José Luis Márquez Hernández at a bus station in Coatzacoalcos. Hernández was trying to flee the area in a bus. He was able to identified Santiago, Herrera, Hernández as fellow kidnappers and murder participants, including Cruz, the Mamey bar owner as those responsible for De la Cruz homicide. Authorities were taken to a safe house near a clandestine grave where the four suspects were arrested. One of the suspects told authorities where the clandestine grave was located. De la Cruz's body along with two other bodies, one identified as Ernesto Ruiz Guillén and a third body that hasn't been identified were recovered by authorities.
De la Cruz had reported about a local criminal group that operated in the area who were trafficking and extorting undocumented immigrants. He also reported about several murders that occurred at the Mamey Bar.
Authorites say, the Mamey Bar owner's motive was to take revenge against De la Cruz.
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