Mexico City, Mexico – A mayor from Mexico’s Guerrero state who was beheaded by a local drug gang on October 6, was allegedly murdered for refusing to incorporate gang members into his cabinet – which had reportedly already been infiltrated by the criminal group – according to state authorities.
News of Mayor Alejandro Arcos Catalán’s murder was reported just six days after he was sworn in as Mayor of Chilpancingo, the state’s capital, following a string of murders of close officials of his very shortly-lived administration.
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On November 12, Guerrero’s Prosecution reported the arrest of Germán Reyes Reyes, an ex-military member who served as the current security chief in Chilpancingo, for allegedly ordering the kidnapping and murder of Catalán.
While Reyes has denied his involvement in the brutal murder of Catalán, the prosecution has reported that Reyes is part of the local criminal gang known as “Los Ardillos” and ordered the beheading of Catalán after the mayor refused to incorporate more Ardillos members in his government.
The case against Reyes
During his first hearing on November 12, journalists present in the courtroom reported that the allegations made against Reyes were based on a single witness who reported overhearing a conversation between gang members discussing the kidnapping and murder of Catalán.
Cándido Pila Domitilo, a local merchant, was reportedly kidnapped by gang members on October 27. During his kidnapping, Domitilo stated he heard that Reyes had ordered the murder of Catalán for refusing to obey Ardillos’ order to give government positions to gang members.
As the criminals released Domitilo that same day, the 45-year-old man promptly ran to Chilpancingo’s police department, where he reported his kidnapping and the conversation he overheard.
Domitilo’s testimony is the sole evidence presented by the prosecution that links Reyes to the murder and with the Ardillos criminal group. However, this key witness was found dead on November 6 after neighbors complained of a foul smell coming from his apartment.
Although Reyes maintains his innocence, the Prosecutor’s Office has placed him under preventive detention, with the District Judge setting November 18 as the date when it will be verified whether Reyes will be investigated for the murder.
Guerrero, a coastal state seated in southwestern Mexico, is a focal point of political violence in the country, where criminal groups, emboldened by staggering impunity, are relentlessly pursuing to control the state’s government through violence or corruption.
