Mexican Federal Judge Murdered in Suspected Hit by Organized Crime
Uriel Villegas handled multiple high-profile cases, deciding whether crime leaders should be apprehended or released from custody.
June 17, 2020 at 01:25 PM
3 minute read
A federal judge in Mexico who handled cases against high-ranking members of criminal gangs has been shot dead along with his wife at their home in the western state of Colima, sparking outrage across the country's legal community.
Though Mexico is plagued by growing drug-related violence and organized crime, the killing of federal judges is unusual. The state of Colima, on the Pacific coast, has become one of Mexico's deadliest because of its strategic location as a crossroads for the international drug trade.
Supreme Court Chief Arturo Zaldívar interrupted a virtual court session on Tuesday to announce the double-murder of Judge Uriel Villegas and Verónica Barajas. The videotaped session shows concern spread across the faces of participants as Zaldívar laments the "terrible news" and asks for greater protection of judges.
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