Mexican Court Finds Two Guilty in Murder of Journalist Marco Aurelio Ramírez

After nearly three years of judicial proceedings, a criminal judge in Tehuacán, Puebla, has convicted two men in the 2023 murder of veteran Mexican journalist Marco Aurelio Ramírez Hernández, marking a breakthrough in a case that had drawn national attention to violence against the press and organized crime’s intimidation of reporters. The verdict was issued on February 18, 2026, and represents a significant step toward accountability in one of Mexico’s many unresolved journalist killings.

Ramírez, a highly experienced investigative and crime reporter with decades in regional radio and print media, was fatally shot on May 23, 2023, as he left his home in the Agua Blanca neighbourhood of Tehuacán. Local and international press rights organisations identified his reporting on local criminal gangs as a likely motive for the attack, amid Mexico’s broader context as one of the world’s deadliest countries for journalists covering organised crime and corruption.

In convicting Jesús N. and Francisco N. of aggravated intentional homicide, the court recognised that Ramírez’s journalistic work — including investigations into the activities of violent criminal groups in the region — played a central role in the circumstances of his death. Ramírez’s daughter, Diana Luisa Ramírez, confirmed the guilty verdict and reiterated the family’s demand for the maximum statutory penalty, which in Mexico can be up to 50 years’ imprisonment, depending on judicial discretion and any additional penalties applied.

While the verdict marks progress, the process is not yet complete. The next phase involves individualising the sentence, during which the judge will determine the exact prison terms and ancillary sanctions for both defendants. The defence teams have already signalled their intention to appeal aspects of the conviction, which could extend the legal process over the coming months.

Human rights observers and press freedom advocates have welcomed the verdict as an important development in combating impunity for crimes against journalists in Mexico, where investigations have frequently stalled and killers have gone unpunished. Still, local media groups and international organisations continue to call for broader structural reforms to protect journalists and ensure rapid, transparent prosecutions in cases of violence linked to reporting.

The conviction in the Ramírez case arrives against a backdrop of sustained pressure from civil society to address the country’s high rate of attacks on journalists, and to uphold the rule of law in contexts where reporting on organised crime can carry lethal risks.

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In Mexico, guilty verdict handed down against two implicated in murder of journalist Marco Aurelio Ramírez

El periodista Marco Aurelio Ramírez fue asesinado por investigar a bandas delictivas