List of people executed in Mexico

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of people legally executed in Mexico. The death penalty was a legal punishment in Mexico since Pre-Columbian times, and was still applied during its contemporary history. The last non-military execution in Mexico was in June 1957 in the State of Sonora, where two men charged with child rape and murder were executed by firing squad, and the last military execution was in 1961,^[1] with the civil death penalty being abolished in 1976 and the military death penalty in 2005. The next list is representative and includes people condemned and executed during Mexican history:

Twentieth century

Civilian (until 1957)

Name of the convict	Execution date	Method	Charge	Jurisdiction	Description
Arcadio Jímenez	28 April 1909	Firing squad	Murder	Mexico, Federal Government	Farmer who was condemned to death for murdering a policeman named Tomás Morales. The crime occurred during a protest in Chalco, State of Mexico, in the years previous to the beginning of the Mexican Revolution. Two other men, Hilario Silva and Marcelino Martínez, were executed for their participation in this murder.^[2]
Marcelino Martínez	28 April 1909	Firing squad	Murder	Mexico, Federal Government	Farmer executed with Arcadio Jímenez and Hilario Silva for the same crime.^[3]
Hilario Silva	28 April 1909	Firing squad	Murder	Mexico, Federal Government	Farmer executed with Arcadio Jímenez and Marcelino Martínez for the same crime.^[4]
José de Jesús Negrete Medina	22 December 1910	Firing squad	Murder, robbery and organized delinquency	Mexico, Federal Government	37-year-old man, ex-military, and leader of a gang who was condemned to death for the murder of two policemen. Negrete was a bandit, better known as "The Tiger of Santa Julia" (Spanish: El Tigre de Santa Julia), with a modus operandi similar to Robin Hood. He was arrested and incarcerated in 1905 for several attacks on plantations, shops, and several armory stations. He escaped from prison and murdered two police officers in the process. He was re-arrested, sentenced to death, and executed by firing squad at Belem Prison in Mexico City in 1910.
Margarita Ortega (magonist)	24 November 1913	Firing squad		Mexico
Luis Segura Vilchis [es]	23 November 1927	Firing squad	Conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, and terrorism	Mexico, Federal Government	A 24-year-old hydraulic engineer, and active member of group named Liga Nacional para la Defensa de las Libertades Religiosas (English: National League for the Defense of Religious Liberties). Vilchis was condemned to death for the attempted murder of Mexican Presidential candidate, Alvaro Obregón. He orchestrated and executed a bomb attack on November 13, 1927 in Mexico City.^[5] The day of murder attempt, Vilchis and three other men (Juan Tirado, Nahum Lamberto Ruíz, and an unidentified man) approached Obregón's retinue; Vilchis and Tirado threw two bombs at the retinue, while Ruíz shot at them. No fatalities resulted from the attack. A few hours later, Vilchis turned himself in. On 23 November 1927, Vilchis was executed by firing squad at the same time as Juan Tirado and the brothers Miguel and Humberto Pro. Neither Ruíz nor the unidentified man were executed for their roles in the plot.^[6]
Juan Tirado Arías	23 November 1927	Firing squad	Conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, and terrorism	Mexico, Federal Government	Executed with Luis Segura Vilchis and the Pro brothers for his participation in the bomb attack on 13 November 1927.^[7]
Father Miguel Agustín Pro	23 November 1927	Firing squad	Conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, and terrorism	Mexico, Federal Government	A Mexican Jesuit Catholic priest also known as Blessed Miguel Pro, executed with Luis Segura Vilchis, Juan Tirado Arías, and his brother Humberto for his participation in the bomb attack on 13 November 1927. Pro's arrest, lack of trial, and evidential support gained prominence during the Cristero War, and his execution, intended to frighten Mexican Catholics, served the opposite effect. Known for his religious piety and innocence, Pro was beatified in Rome on September 25, 1988, by Pope John Paul II as a Catholic martyr, killed "in odium fidei" (in hatred of the faith).^[8]^[9]
Humberto Pro	23 November 1927	Firing squad	Conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, and terrorism	Mexico, Federal Government	Executed with Luis Segura Vilchis, Juan Tirado Arías, and his brother Miguel for his participation in the bomb attack on 13 November 1927.^[10]
José de León Toral	9 February 1929	Firing squad	Magnicide and terrorism.	Mexico, Federal Government	29 years-old anti-government Roman Catholic who was condemned to death for the murder of Mexican president-elect, Álvaro Obregón. At 17 July 1928, at 2:20 pm, De León Toral shot Obregón six times while the president-elect ate in a restaurant named "La Bombilla" localised in San Ángel neighborhood, now Álvaro Obregón borough, Mexico City.^[11] De León was a destaca citizen without a criminal record, a father of three, a caricaturist, and a professional soccer player; he was convinced that the Obregón death would end the civil war.^[12] He was also opposed to the government's advocacy of anti-Catholicism. Some^[who?] have considered him a martyr or hero, but the official position of the Mexican government and Mexican Roman Catholic clergy is that he was an extremist.^[13] Toral was shot in Palacio de Lecumberri, Mexico City. Reportedly, his last words were, "¡Viva Cristo Rey!" (English: Long Live Christ the King), the frequent defiant rallying cry of the Cristeros.
Juan Castillo Martínez	17 February 1938	Firing squad (not an official, state-sanctioned execution)	Rape and murder.	Baja California	Male soldier who was condemned to death for the rape and murder of an 8-year-old girl. He was sentenced with inconsistent evidence. After his death sentence was passed, he was removed from the courtroom and summarily executed under the ley fuga, a law active in Mexico at the time that allowed authorities to kill prisoners who attempted to flee; the law was also often used as an excuse for summary executions. After his death, rumors of his innocence persisted. Alleged apparitions of his ghost and miracles attributed to him caused some to believe that Juan Castillo, now called "Juan Soldado", was unjustly executed. He became an apocryphal saint venerated in some places near the U.S.-Mexican border.^[14]
Francisco Ruíz Corrales	17 June 1957	Firing squad	Rape and murder.	Sonora	27-year-old laborer who was condemned to death for the rape and murder of María de la Luz Margarita Mendoza Noriega, a 9-year-old girl. On 18 January 1957, in Hermosillo, Sonora, Ruíz Corrales kidnapped the girl and carried her to an isolated place, where he raped and strangled her. The victim sold tomatoes in a local market, and several witnesses saw her go with Ruíz Corrales. He was arrested the same day of the murder and was sentenced to capital punishment one week afterwards. He was executed together with José Rosario Zamarripa, another man condemned for similar crimes.^[15]^[16]^[17]

Military (until 1961)

Name of the convict	Execution date	Method	Charge	Jurisdiction	Description	Image
José Rosario Don Juan Zamarripa	17 June 1957	Firing squad	Kidnapping, rape and murder.	Sonora	40 years-old Mexican Revolution veteran who was condemned to death for the kidnapping, rape and murder of a young girl named Ernestina Leyva whose age has been inconsistently reported, according to official chronist of Hermosillo, Gilberto Escobosa, she was only 3 months old but other authors say she was 4 years old. The crime was committed in 1950, when Zamarripa kidnapped the girl, raped and strangled her and threw the body in the Yaqui River. Before his execution, he refused to confess to the Roman Catholic priest to receive the absolution. Was shot together with Francisco Ruíz.^[18]^[19]
José Isaías Constante Laureano	9 August 1961	Firing squad	Murder and insubordination.	Coahuila	28 years-old male soldier who was condemned to death for the murders of fellow soldiers Cristóbal Granados Jasso and Juan Pablo MaDobecker. An intoxicated Constante shot them after a dispute. The last petition of José Constante was to not cover his eyes during the execution because he wanted to see the breaking dawn. Dead at 4:30 am, in Saltillo military prison.^[20]^[21]

Extrajudicial killings

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Name of the convict	Execution date	Method	Charge	Jurisdiction	Description	Image
Juan Castillo Martínez	17 February 1938	Firing squad (not an official, state-sanctioned execution)	Rape and murder	Baja California	Male soldier who was condemned to death for the rape and murder of an 8-year-old girl. He was sentenced with inconsistent evidence. After his death sentencing, he was removed from the courtroom and summarily executed under the ley fuga, a law active in Mexico at the time that allowed authorities to kill prisoners who attempted to flee; the law was also often used as an excuse for summary executions. After his death, rumors of his innocence persisted. Alleged apparitions of his ghost and miracles attributed to him caused some to believe that Juan Castillo, now called "Juan Soldado", was unjustly executed. He became an apocryphal saint venerated in some places near the U.S.-Mexican border.^[22]

Victims of anti-Catholic violence in Mexico

Commuted death sentences

Name of the convict	Sentenced date	Commuted date	Charge	Jurisdiction	Description
Francisco Guerrero Pérez	1888	1904	Murder, rape and attempt murder	Distrito Federal (Mexico)	Serial killer who was sentenced to death for one murder and another attempt, he was 48 years-old and was suspected of 20 murders more. His sentence was commuted to 20 years-prison time by Presidential order (Porfirio Díaz, the Mexican President in this time, had an anti-death penalty posture). Mistakenly he received an indult in 1904. In 1908, Guerrero killed again, his victim an elderly woman who was raped and beheaded. Guerrero was sentenced to death again, but died of a cerebral thromboembolism in 1910 before his execution.^[23]
Wenceslao Moguel	1915	1915	Treason	Yucatán	Was accused of belonging to an insurgent group during the Mexican Revolution, was fusilled but survived to eight shoots and the coup de grâce into his face. Received the indult by the Government and 500.00 pesos.^[24]
Eusebio Yocupicio Soto	1950	?	Murder	Sonora	Yoreme Amerindian man who was sentenced to death, together with three other Yoreme men, accused of 7 murders committed in Huatabampo, Sonora, during 1950. According to the police investigations, Yocupicio and the other men maintained homosexual relationships, this rumor spread around the community, and the men were stigmatized, leading them to murder and mutilate seven men who they blamed for the rumor. Yocupicio and his accomplices were sentenced to death but were commuted to 30 years-prison. Several extenuating circumstances were considered as the socio-cultural conditions and the antecedent discrimination.^[25]^[26]^[27]
Basilio Humo Valenzuela	1950	?	Murder	Sonora	Yoreme Amerindian man condemned to death together with Eusebio Yocupicio.
Leonardo Yocupicio Huipas	1950	?	Murder	Sonora	Yoreme Amerindian man condemned to death together with Eusebio Yocupicio.
Adelaido Huipas Quijano	1950	?	Murder	Sonora	Yoreme Amerindian man condemned to death together with Eusebio Yocupicio.
Dykes Askew Simmons	March 1961	1969	Murder	Nuevo León	American rampage killer who was sentenced to death for triple homicide. In 1959, he massacred three men, Villagómez Pérez family members. Simmons was a known mental patient, for this reason his sentence was commuted to 30 years-prison.^[28]^[29]
Dr. Alfredo Ballí Treviño	November 1961	1981	Murder	Nuevo León	33 years-old male physician who was sentenced to death for the murder and dismemberment of his boyfriend, Jesús Castillo Rangel. He was the last man condemned to death in Mexico. In October 1959, Dr. Treviño murdered his boyfriend after a dispute by drugging him and cutting his throat with a scalpel, Treviño then dismembered the body and placed the remains in a box, and buried it in a relative's farm under the pretext of it being "medical waste". After his capture, Treviño was incarcerated at the Topo Chico prison to await his execution, but his condemnation was commuted to 30 years-prison after the death penalty was abolished in Nuevo León. Was noted as a 'model prisoner' and was released after 20 years, after his release he re-obtained his medical license and continued his work as a physician. Died of natural causes in 2009 at the age of 80 years old. His history inspired the fictional character Hannibal Lecter.^[30]^[31]^[32]

References

^ Gibbs, Stephen (4 February 2009), Death penalty debate grows in Mexico, BBC News, retrieved 2 August 2009
^ "1909: A triple execution in Chalco". Executed Today.com. Executed Today.com. 28 April 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2017. Mexican campesinos Arcadio Jiménez, Hilario Silva, and Marcelino Martínez really all shot together at Chalco on this date in 1909, for killing a policeman during the tense twilight of dictator Porfirio Diaz, on the verge of the Mexican Revolution...
^ "1909: A triple execution in Chalco". Executed Today.com. Executed Today.com. 28 April 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
^ "1909: A triple execution in Chalco". Executed Today.com. Executed Today.com. 28 April 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
^ González, Fernando M. (2001). Matar y morir por Cristo Rey: aspectos de la cristiada [Kill and dead for Christ the King: aspects of Cristiada] (in Spanish). Universidad Autónoma de México. p. 192. ISBN 968-856-906-2. Luis Segura Vilchis estudió en el Colegio Francés de los Maristas en México y pronto ingresó a la Asociación Católica de la Juventud Mexicana (ACJM)... Después ya en plena contienda armada, Segura sustituyó a Bartolomé Ontiveros en el denominado cómite especial de la Liga (CE) - encargado de la guerra -, en el primer semestre de 1927... Luis Segura en realidad el hombre orquesta por ello organizó y dirigió el atentado a Obregón en noviembre de 1927, que finalmente le costó la vida...
^ García-Galiano, Javier (24 June 2016). "El coche del hermano del padre Pro" [The car of father Pro´s brother]. El Universal (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
^ García-Galiano, Javier (24 June 2016). "El coche del hermano del padre Pro" [The car of father Pro´s brother]. El Universal (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
^ Suro, Roberto. "An Assailed Missionary to America is Beatified." The New York Times, late ed., 26 September 1988, p. A12.
^ García-Galiano, Javier (24 June 2016). "El coche del hermano del padre Pro" [The car of father Pro´s brother]. El Universal (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
^ García-Galiano, Javier (24 June 2016). "El coche del hermano del padre Pro" [The car of father Pro´s brother]. El Universal (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
^ Serrano Alvárez, Pablo. "La muerte de un caudillo" [The death of a leader]. Official page of Álvaro Obregón municipalitie (in Spanish). Delegación Álvaro Obregón. Retrieved 21 October 2017. El caudillo salió de su domicilio acompañado también por sus amigos y escoltas, Ignacio Otero Pablos y Juan Jaimes. Partieron de avenida Jalisco y siguieron a la izquierda por la avenida Insurgentes hacia el sur. José de León Toral abordó un taxi para seguir a la comitiva, alcanzándola en la avenida Tizapán (hoy Baja California), sin saber hacia dónde se dirigían, aunque intuyó, según sus declaraciones posteriores, que era a "La Bombilla"... (...) En ese momento, Toral sostuvo con la mano izquierda el cuaderno y con la derecha sacó la pistola para realizar el primer disparo a cinco centímetros; luego fueron cuatro más en la espalda y otro en el muñón derecho. Seis en total. Eran las 14:20 horas, justo en el momento en que se servían los postres "Bombilla", del gusto de don Álvaro, y se escuchaba la canción "Limoncito", confundiéndose con el sonido de los disparos...
^ Barrón, Carlos (10 October 2016). "León Toral jugó en el América en 1918.. y mató al presidente" [León Toral played with América Club Soccer in 1918... and killed the President]. Excelsior (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
^ "De León Toral, asesino de Obregón" [De León Toral, murder of Obregón]. Proceso (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico. 7 April 2001. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
^ "1938: Juan Soldado, patron saint of Mexico-US migrants". Executed Today.com. Exeuted Today.com. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
^ Delgadillo, Magalli (21 July 2017). "¿Pórque dejó de aplicarse la pena de muerte en México?" [Why did it stop the application of death penalty in Mexico?]. El Universal (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
^ Beyliss, Marcelo (17 February 2017). "En 1957, los últimos ejecutados en el país" [In 1957, the last executed men in the country]. El Universal (in Spanish). Sonora, Mexico. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
^ Barrios, Benjamín (17 June 2017). "A 60 años de la pena de muerte en México; últim ejecución fue en Hermosillo" [To 60 years of death penalty in Mexico; the last execution was in Hermosillo]. Expreso (in Spanish). Sonora, Mexico. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
^ Delgadillo, Magalli (21 July 2017). "¿Pórque dejó de aplicarse la pena de muerte en México?" [Why did it stop the application of death penalty in Mexico?]. El Universal (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
^ Beyliss, Marcelo (17 February 2017). "En 1957, los últimos ejecutados en el país" [In 1957, the last executed men in the country]. El Universal (in Spanish). Sonora, Mexico. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
^ Schober, Otto (24 October 2010). "El último ejecutado" [The last executed]. Zócalo (in Spanish). Coahuila, Mexico. Retrieved 20 October 2017. El 9 de agosto de 1961, el soldado José Isaías Constante Laureano fue fusilado al ser declarado culpable por insubordinación y asesinato, delitos castigados con la muerte por el código de justicia militar de ese entonces. Constante Laureano, de 28 años de edad, pidió al pelotón militar que no le vendaran los ojos, porque quería morir viendo el alba... A las 04:30 horas de ese 9 de agosto, José Isaías Constante Laureano fue conducido al paredón de la Sexta Zona Militar de la ciudad de Saltillo. Con sus rifles y escopetas, el encargado de dirigir el fusilamiento dio la famosa orden: Preparen, apunten, fuego... José Isaías Constante Laureano estaba completamente embriagado y con su fusil mató a dos de sus compañeros, cuyos nombres eran Cristóbal Granados Jasso y al subteniente de infantería Juan Pablo MaDobecker...
^ Saragoza, Alex M.; Ambrosi, Ana Paula; Zárate, Silvia D. (2012). Mexico Today: An Encyclopedia of Life in the Republic (Volume 1). California, USA: ABC-CLIO. p. 162. ISBN 978-0-313-34948-5.
^ "1938: Juan Soldado, patron saint of Mexico-US migrants". Executed Today.com. Exeuted Today.com. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
^ Romero, Carolina (24 April 2017). "The 'Mexican Ripper' Who Murdered At Least A Dozen Prostitutes In The 19th Century". Cultura Colectiva.com. Cultura Colectiva. Retrieved 23 October 2017. He was caught in a tavern in 1888 and sentenced to death. However, then-president Porfirio Díaz, lowered his sentence to only 20 years of imprisonment at the Fortress of San Juan de Ulúa, a prison set on an island. However, the "Mexican Ripper" was set free in 1904 because his file was misplaced into the pile of political prisoners who were granted forgiveness. Four years later, in 1908, the body of an elderly woman, who people assured was connected to prostitution, was found in the same river, presenting the same marks and cause of death as Guerrero's previous victims. He was arrested and sent to the Lecumberri prison in the city, where he was sentenced to death. However, he soon died due to a hemiparesis caused by a brain congestion. He passed away in a hospital bed when he was 70 years old, avoiding the rope once again.
^ Armando, Bartra (2021-03-28). Suku'un Felipe: Felipe Carrillo Puerto y la revolución maya de Yucatán (in Spanish). Fondo de Cultura Economica. ISBN 978-607-16-7081-6.
^ Buitimea Yocupicio, Emilia. "Los huipas: los míticos asesinos seriales de Sonora" [Los Huipas: the mythical serial killers from Sonora]. VICE (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 October 2017.
^ Arroyo Cano, Alejandro. "La historia de los asesinos seriales de Sonora" [The history of serial killers from Sonora]. Cultura Colectiva (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 October 2017.
^ Mungarro Daniels, Alejandro. "Tesopaco: el último fusilamiento en Sonora" [Tesopaco: the last shot in Sonora]. Info Cajeme (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 October 2017. La historia oficial data que la última pena de muerte aplicada en sonora y en México fue en Hermosillo, aplicándose esta pena a José Rosario Don Juan Zamarripa y Francisco Ruiz Corrales, siendo al Lic. Roberto Reynoso Dávila ,Juez, quien dicto aquella sentencia, dictada primeramente en 1950 para José Rosario Don Juan Zamarripa y en 1955 para Francisco Ruiz Corrales ,valorando los delitos que estas personas habían cometido, determinando que esa era la pena que les correspondía, aplicando esta el día 17 de Junio de 1957, en horas de la madrugada. Al aplicarse la penas de muerte a estas personas había también otros reos que esperaban en prisión la aplicación de la misma, entre ellos, cuatro indígenas mayos que con sus crímenes conmocionaron a la sociedad sonorense de aquel tiempo ellos eran, Adelaido Huipas Quijano, Leonardo Yocupicio Huipas, Eusebio Yocupicio Soto y Basilio Humo Valenzuela, sin embargo a ellos pese a que el juez de Primera Instancia los condeno a muerte, apelaron la sentencia, posteriormente se les cambio por pena de cárcel por 30 años, debiéndola cumplir en la capital del estado. Eusebio Yocupicio Soto y Basilio Humo Valenzuela murieron en la prisión en Hermosillo Sonora, los otros dos estuvieron presos treinta años.
^ Bacchi, Umberto (31 July 2013). "Real Hannibal Lecter was Murderous Gay Mexican Doctor Alfredo Ballí Treviño". International Business Times. Nuevo León, Mexico. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
^ Rodríguez, Christian. "Hannibal Lecter: una historia real basada en un mexicano" [Hannibal Lecter: a real store based in a Mexican]. Esquire Latinoamérica (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 October 2017.
^ Bacchi, Umberto (31 July 2013). "Real Hannibal Lecter was Murderous Gay Mexican Doctor Alfredo Ballí Treviño". International Business Times. Nuevo León, Mexico. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
^ Rodríguez, Christian. "Hannibal Lecter: una historia real basada en un mexicano" [Hannibal Lecter: a real store based in a Mexican]. Esquire Latinoamérica (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 October 2017.
^ "The Real-Life Hannibal Lecter Was a Scary Dude, Too". Medical Bag.com. Haymarket Media, Inc. 14 October 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2017. Hannibal Lecter was based on an actual doctor in Mexico, a surgeon by the name of Alfredo Ballí Treviño, who was convicted of murdering then chopping up his gay lover... Details of the murder motive are sketchy; there are several different accounts of why Dr. Treviño killed his boyfriend, Jesús Castillo Rangel. Rangel and Treviño knew each other since high school and Rangel worked for the doctor. One account reports that the two men tangled after Rangel told Treviño that he was leaving him. Another theory was that Rangel refused to pay back money loaned to him by Treviño, which ignited the dispute during which Rangel slashed Treviño with a screwdriver. What's certain is that Rangel died at the hands of Treviño, and the murder was categorized as a crime of passion. According to the police report filed on the case, Treviño used some kind of anesthetic to sedate Rangel. Then Treviño injected an additional drug into Rangel's unconscious body and dragged the body into a bathtub, where he slit Rangel's throat with a scalpel and drained the blood from his body. Treviño then methodically sliced up his victim's body, chopping it into tiny pieces and stuffing the chopped-up flesh and bones into a box. Treviño drove the box to a relative's farm and a farmhand helped him bury it, which Treviño said contained medical waste. But the next day, another worker saw the suspicious grave and called the authorities. Two Mexican police officers pretended to be patients and arrested the doctor in his office. Treviño was accused of offering a bribe to the police officers, a payoff that was to include a pharmacy that belonged to his father, as well as promising each officer a new car. Treviño was arrested, tried, and sentenced to death for the murder... After serving 20 years in prison, the doctor's sentence was commuted, and he was released in 2000. Amazingly, once he was a free man, Treviño continued his medical practice, providing medical care to the poor until he died in 2009. A little bit of good emerged from inside an evil man...

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