The judge who presided over the appeals hearing of Mexican drug cartel figure Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was recently assassinated near his home in Metepec, Mexico, as reported by The Telegraph. What makes the story even more bone chilling is how Judge Vicente Bermudez was jogging near his home when the event was caught on security footage.
The Telegraph reported Bermudez had been rushed to a local hospital, but doctors were not able to save him. Bermudez had been embroiled with cases concerning El Chapo’s Sinaloa cartel and others. The Telegraph reported he was also dealing with appeals case of Miguel Trevino, who was the ex-leader of the Zetas Cartel. Trevino is currently being held at maximum security Altiplano jail, which is not far from the judge’s home, leading to more speculation on who was responsible. The case surrounding El Chapo has been growing since his capture earlier this month. It was reported the son of the imprisoned drug kingpin was kidnapped in August, and some of his sons are thought to be responsible for an attack on rival cartel member Julio Ortiz.
Even more disturbing — Bermudez was reportedly not granted any protection while he was not presiding in court. For a man that has ruthless drug kingpin’s lives in his hands, he could have been afforded a bodyguard or two. El Chapo is currently in custody, waiting for extradition to the U.S., but even in custody, violence still seems to be associated with him.
(Via The Telegraph)