Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman is currently awaiting extradition behind bars. In the midst, of his custody status, it is being reported that the judge that presided over his high-profile case has been murdered.
According to the Huffington Post, Judge Vicente Bermudez Zacarias was found fatally shot in the head outside his home on Monday. He appears to have been shot while he was jogging near his home in Metepec, just outside of Mexico City. He died later in the hospital.
Judge Zacarias handled several legal challenges lodged by lawyers for "El Chapo", the jailed Sinaloa Cartel, as well as Miguel Trevino, ex-leader of the Zetas cartel.
The site reports that Trevino is currently imprisoned at the Altiplano facility and "El Chapo" is in a Ciudad Juarez prison, across the border from El Paso, Texas, awaiting extradition to the United States.
Since March, Judge Zacarias presided over federal trials in the state of Mexico just outside the capital, where Mexico's maximum security Altiplano prison is located.
President Enrique Pena Nieto said in a televised speech on Monday that the attorney general will be investigating the murder, but he did not provide any additional information about the case.
Although Guzman's lawyers have filed numerous appeals to prevent his extradition, government officials have said it is likely he will be sent to the United States by early 2017.
Despite the murder of Judge Zacarias, the extradition plan is still running on schedule. There is no word if "El Chapo" had any involvement in the brutal murder.
© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.