Mexican Judge Linked to Ayotzinapa and Ovidio Guzmán Cases Found Dead in Mexico State

Everardo Maya Arias, a prominent figure in Mexico's judicial system known for his involvement in high-profile cases, was found dead June 15 in Zinacantepec, Mexico State, in what authorities suspect was an organized crime-related attack.

Local media reported that Arias' body was discovered inside a white Volkswagen van parked on a dirt road after residents reported the suspicious vehicle. He had a gunshot wound to the head, and a firearm was found on the passenger seat.

Officials from the Mexico State Attorney General's Office recovered the body and transferred it to a forensic center for a necropsy as part of standard procedure. As reported by Infobae México, authorities have not confirmed whether Arias's death was a targeted attack or a suicide. The investigation remains ongoing.

The Federal Judiciary Council mourned his death and posted a message on its X account expressing "our deepest condolences to family, friends, and colleagues."

Arias was in the process of retiring. He had most recently served as a judge at the Third District Court for Amparo and Federal Matters in Toluca.

Throughout his career, Arias handled numerous high-profile cases. Among the most notable was his role in granting legal protections to José Luis Abarca Velázquez, the former mayor of Iguala, during proceedings related to the 2014 disappearance of 43 students from Ayotzinapa.

In that case, Arias authorized measures that allowed Abarca to avoid mandatory pretrial detention.

He also oversaw proceedings involving Ovidio Guzmán López, son of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán. Court records show Arias granted Guzmán López a provisional suspension to prevent his arrest for crimes that reportedly did not qualify for automatic pretrial detention.

Infobae México detailed that Arias was repeatedly criticized by the administration of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, which accused him of being part of a network of judges who favored suspects in serious criminal cases. Arias consistently denied the allegations and defended his rulings as lawful.

Arias is the first Mexican judge found dead in 2025. The last similar case took place in December 2024, when Edmundo Román Pinzón, a magistrate with the Guerrero Superior Court of Justice, was fatally shot outside a courthouse in Acapulco.

Arias's death occurred the same day as the murder of Lilia Gema García Soto, mayor of San Mateo Piñas, Oaxaca, who was killed inside the municipal government building by two armed men.

During a June 16 press conference, Mexico's Secretary of the Interior, Rosa Icela Rodríguez, said both killings are under investigation by state prosecutors and are being closely monitored by federal authorities.

"We will follow up on the incidents that occurred in these locations, and the investigations will continue with state prosecutors or the Attorney General's Office, depending on the case, to identify those responsible," she said.