They release him after spending 21 years in prison for murder: his “victim” is alive

Mexican Manuel Valdovinos freed thanks to amnesty law after 21 years of incarceration for a murder that did not take place, since its alleged victim is alive and in the United States.

Valdovinos, released from prison three days ago, accused the press on Tuesday that the authorities they did not ask “forgiveness” and he denounced that he now has a “criminal record” which prevents him from aspiring to certain jobs.

“It was not a reintegration, it was a joke”, he reproached.

On May 27, Mexican congressman Pedro César Carrizales, known as El Mijis, and activist Bryan LeBaron began a hunger strike in front of the National Palace, the presidential residence, to demand the release of Valdovinos.

After analyzing the case, the Special Commission for the Control of the Amnesty Law of the State of Mexico decided the immediate release of Valdovinos, who was received by his relatives at the gates of Almoloya de Juárez prison.

“Mexico is a country where justice is reversed. Those of us who must have justice have escapes and arbitrariness. If they don’t exert pressure with the hunger strike, I am not there today, “he said.

A crime that never happened

Manuel was arrested the night of May 26, 2000 in the city of Tepexpan, east of the state of Mexico, near the area of ​​the pyramids of Teotihuacán, the most important archaeological site in Mexico.

He was 22 years old and was returning from his job as a music teacher in a school (in addition, on Sundays he played in the choir of the church of Tepexpan). It was Thursday and he had organized with his then wife Esther, a small party for the first month of life of her only child.

At around 8 p.m., the celebration was interrupted. A squad of eight forensic police raided his home, shot dead more than 20 assistants, and after brutally beating and handcuffing him, they put him in the back of an unlicensed car with tinted windows. They covered her head with a balaclava and they continued to beat him as they took him to the police station. They never presented an arrest warrant.

When he arrived there, they introduced him to Constable Araceli Godínez Sánchez, who told him that he had been detained “because he had committed a homicide”.

After 24 hours of detention, during which was hanged with chains, and naked they gave him electrical shock and they threw ice water at him to erase the evidence, showed him the arrest warrant and formalized the charge of “homicide” against Manuel Martínez Elizalde.

Manuel was stunned. I knew this man, since he financially helped Martínez Elizalde because “They didn’t even have enough to eat.”

Manuel remembers when he entered the courthouse, he saw the father of the alleged victim complaining to the officers: “Not that one, he’s my friend’s son and he’s going to arm me.” The commander replied: “You ordered three assholes from us and here they are. Now they are supporting each other because everything is already armed with the prosecution.”

Later he would hear that the man agreed to pay $ 150,000 insurance for agents.

Manuel was convicted of the murder of a man who enjoy full health and live happily in the United States, while the father of the “murdered” cashed out his million dollar life insurance policy.

Ramírez Valdovinos was admitted to a prison in the State of Mexico, moving from one court to another until the president of the third criminal court, in Toluca, sentenced him to 43 years in prison for murder.

All the evidence that was presented against him was a sham. The corpse that they presented (supposedly Manuel Martínez Elizalde) was not that of the alleged victim. The skin tone was different. The corpse he was 3 centimeters shorter which Martínez Elizalde had. And the corpse had no scars and Martínez Elizalde did it.

The dead lived happily and with the insurance money

Already in prison and thanks to his relatives, Manuel learned that the supposed “dead”, Martínez Elizalde, always came to Tepexpan to participate in the festivities of the patron saint, he lived for a few days in the huge house that his father bought with his life insurance , then he returned to the United States where live with another identity, and with some physical changes (it is believed that plastic surgery product).

What Manuel suffered was not limited to himself. Prison staff at the Prevention and Social Reintegration Center of Almoloya de Juárez, where he is imprisoned, induced an abortion in his wife after having subjected her to a “exhaustive” examination when, while pregnant, she tried to surrender him. visit.

Itzel del Campo, Manuel’s wife, recounts her experience: “In addition to the anal and vaginal exam, they made me squat for over half an hour, until I ‘gave birth and they took me to a hospital where I had an abortion. “

In addition to Manuel’s release, sanctions will be required for those involved in irregular criminal proceedings, for those responsible for the acts of torture to which he has been subjected since his arrest and admission to the penitentiary to compel him to plead. guilty, which he never did.

Civil servants who have learned of these facts and who have done absolutely nothing to avoid the injustices, torture, subjugation and personal and family attacks of which they have been the victims will also have to be identified, by omission.

EFE and own agency.

GML