Frontera NorteSur June 2000

Initial Investigation, Autopsy Bungled

The brutal stabbing death of a well-known and well-liked Juárez news reporter created an outpour of public mourning which quickly turned into anger and protest when the state attorney general's office (PGJE) classified the killing as a drug-related execution. Police discovered the body of Jose "Pepe" Ramírez Puente in his car, April 29. He had been struck 36 times on his head, neck, and chest by a blunt object. The wounds indicated that the journalist had been tortured, the PGJE said. State investigators would later report that the murder was committed by two persons using an object 21cm in length. However, as of May 15, police had no suspects in the case and had yet to establish a motive for the killing.

The case was complicated by the fact that eight packets of marijuana weighing a total of eight kilograms were found in the trunk of Ramírez' car, which was abandoned near the corner of Avenida 15 de Septiembre and Oscar Flores, in the Division del Norte neighborhood. State attorney general Arturo González Rascón said that the presence of drugs indicated the case should be turned over to the federal police, the PGR, which has the competency to investigate drug trafficking-related executions. The Association of Journalists in Ciudad Juárez (APCJ) immediately attacked Rascón for his "lack of respect and responsibility," and questioned the state's linking the crime to drug trafficking.

In addition, an El Diario article alleged the the initial police investigation neglected to report the discovery of the marijuana in the trunk of Ramírez' car, and that this fact was added "hours later." Police officials for the federal Public Ministry (MP), which assisted the PGJE in the investigation, acknowledged that they had neglected to open the trunk during the initial investigation and that the drugs were not officially discovered until two hours later. Journalists also alleged that state and MP officials blocked their attempt to investigate the crime scene.

State police tried to recoup their credibility by stating that they had two "eyewitnesses" who saw the car, with Ramírez inside it, as it was abandoned. Later, police would admit that the testimony of the witnesses--one a drug pusher, the other a drug addict--was "vague" and "contradictory."  The state, realizing that the public had no confidence in its investigation (according to El Diario), confirmed May 2 that the federal police, the PGR, had established its own investigation. PGR officials called the PJE investigation "negligent" and said the state's autopsy was "incomplete" and "imprecise," thus creating a need for a second autopsy. The PGR's autopsy established that Ramírez had been killed outdoors in a park or a grassy area, wounded in the head while still alive, and transported in and abandoned in his car in the Division del Norte neighborhood after he was already dead.

Friends of Popular Journalist Reject Police Theories

The victim was a news reporter for Juárez station RadioNet 1490AM, where he hosted a daily show, "Juárez Today." Ramírez, 28, had previously worked for Radionoticias and the Juárez daily newspaper, El Norte, in his 10-year journalism career. Friends, family, and fellow journalists testified that it was highly unlikely that Ramírez was involved in drugs. "It's not just me, but everyone else who knew, who's saying that he couldn't be involved in drugs," said Manuel Chacón, Juárez correspondent for ABC and U.S. news media. "Many believe that the drugs were planted by his killer or killers to throw authorities off track." An El Norte editorial asserted that "Puente was an honest journalist and nobody believes the state's link to narco trafficking activities."

A group of protesters including the victim's mother, in an effort "to protect Ramirez' reputation," jammed the state police offices declaring that the marijuana was planted in the trunk of the car and demanding justice for Ramírez and his family. Journalists staged several protests denouncing the state's handling of the case, including a march on the office of the Assistant Attorney General for the North Zone, a gathering of 200 outside of the church where Ramírez' funeral was held, and an automobile rally. Journalists also called for governmental protection of the rights of the free press.  Chihuahua Governor Patricio Martínez assured journalists May 5 that the state government would protect their right to work, and added that Ramírez' death did not represent a campaign of intimidation against journalists but was most likely "just one more murder."

Other politicians did not dismiss the murder so casually. The state leader for the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), Luis Javier Valero Flores, said, "There is no justice in Chihuahua. It is urgent for the credibility of the government to solve this homicide." Leaders from the National Action Party (PAN) joined in this sentiment. Mayor Gustavo Elizondo pressured the state government to step up the investigation, while state congressional PAN leaders attacked González Rascón for "eluding responsibility." The president of the Juárez Bar and College of Lawyers, Alberto Medrano Villareal, said that the investigation "revealed the incompetence of our public officials." He also questioned the attorney general's "presumption that the victim was in possession of those drugs."

Local activist Esther Chávez Cano wrote in a guest editorial for El Diario that the murder of Pepe Ramírez was, like the murders of so many women and girls in Ciudad Juárez, another in a series of "unjust deaths" in which improper handling has destroyed the trust of society in its institutions. "Pepe leaves behind an inconsolable family, outraged friends, and a society very wounded and unable to trust," Chávez wrote. She added, "The public repudiates these unscientific and unprofessional investigations into this death and all the other deaths."

State Investigation Leads Nowhere

State authorities countered that the case was "complicated" and that they were continuing to investigate several lines of investigation: the marijuana, the facts of his death, the victim's personal relationships, and his professional relationships. On May 4, the PGJE advanced the theory that Ramírez was killed by someone he knew, possibly his friends. The second autopsy had revealed that  the victim had beer and food in his stomach, indicating a social outing just before he was killed. However, the victim's mother, as well as fellow journalists, attacked the PGJE's theory. "I don't believe that this was done by friends, not at all," said María Eugenia Puente. Even so, the PGJE held to the theory, announcing May 7 that they still suspected the killers had been friends of the victim and that "their identities would be known in a few days."

As of May 15, the state had not released the names of any suspects. However, investigators did advance several other theories. On May 6, they revealed that Ramirez had lent his services as an informant to the Natural Security and Intelligence Center, and that they would be questioning personnel from the center. However, journalists in México commonly work as informants to the center, according to brothers Sergio and Manuel Chacón, journalists who both work for Channel 7 News in El Paso. Also on May 6, the PGR announced it was sending an "elite group" of agents to investigate the crime. On May 10, the PGJE announced that it was following a line of investigation "that is believable and real:" namely, a report that Ramírez used prostitutes and massage parlors. Attorney General González Rascón said "investigating these actions might open up new lines of inquiry," which is "only natural and very delicate. The case must remain open. The case is not simple."

On May 12, police told newspapers that there were "no advances" in the investigation, and no motive for the murder had been established.

José Ramírez is survived by his wife, Rosa Vázquez, and his 16-month-old son. "Today we were married two years, two months, and two weeks," Vázquez told El Diario April 30. "The drugs were planted. Pepe had nothing to do with that."

Sources: El Diario, El Norte, El Paso Times