A Mexican judge drew criticism for a controversial ruling this week where he granted house arrest to a politician who had been in jail since 2020 for an acid attack on a woman.
Oaxaca State Judge Teodulo Pacheco Pacheco ordered that Juan Antonio Vera Carrizal, a former state representative, moved from a detention facility to house arrest claiming that he was sick and needed special care.
Vera Carrizal had been in custody since 2020 on attempted femicide charges for the 2019 acid attack on Maria Elena Rios Ortiz, a musician. According to various publications from the time, Rios Ortiz ended a relationship with Vera Carrizal but he allegedly became a stalker and plotted an acid attack that disfigured her face.
This week, Rios Ortiz took to social media providing updates on the multiple irregularities in the hearings held by Pacheco, claiming that the judge was going to rule in favor of releasing her alleged attacker.
CUARTO DÍA DE AUDIENCIA
El pacto continúa. El Juez Teódulo Pacheco Pacheco hace todo lo posible por liberar a mi agresor, #JuanAntonioVeraCarrizal pero mi abogada @DianaCristal290, la Ministerio Público y yo llegaremos al final.
Las mujeres no se rinden!#rt #rts pic.twitter.com/GEQF54RaqD
— • í (@_ElenaRios) January 19, 2023
After six days of hearings, Rios Ortiz announced that Vera Carrizales had been ordered to house arrest with minimal restrictions. The musician alleged corruption and a deal made before the hearing.
Con una audiencia maquillada y un acuerdo pactado hoy, mi agresor a quedado libre.
Esto es #mexico
— • í (@_ElenaRios) January 21, 2023
After the ruling, Oaxaca Governor Salomon Jara Cruz issued a short statement claiming that he was opposed to the release. However, Jara Cruz had been harshly criticized in the past for having remained silent since the attack.
Aunque soy respetuoso de las decisiones del Poder Judicial, no estoy de acuerdo con la resolución del juez en el caso de Juan Antonio Vera Carrizal. Debería mantenerse en prisión hasta que se haga justicia para María Elena.
— Salomón Jara Cruz (@salomonj) January 21, 2023
On Saturday evening, Rios made a somber tweet stating “if they release him, he escapes and kills me, burn everything.
Si lo liberan y se da a la fuga y me mata #QuemenloTodo ‼️
— • í (@_ElenaRios) January 21, 2023
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
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