Blancornelas Without Justice

A Unitary Court of Toluca confirmed the acquittal of the Arellano Felix cartel gunman who in 1997 tried to assassinate the director of ZETA and killed his bodyguard Luis Valero Elizalde. In addition, they reduced the sentence of organized crime. He will leave prison in late 2015.

Arturo Marcos Quinones Sanchez "El Pato" a gang member of Barrio Logan in San Diego, who worked as a hitman for the Arellano Felix Cartel, could be released this year, after the Fifth Unitary Tribunal of the Second Circuit with residence in Toluca, State of Mexico, modified his sentence to resolve an appeal.

The Federal Court confirmed the acquittal of the criminal - he was sentenced 2013 by the Sixth District Judge of Federal Criminal Proceedings in the State of Mexico on charges of attempted murder committed against journalist J. Jesus Blancornelas, and the murder of Luis Valero Elizalde.

He was also exonerated in the murder of his criminal boss and accomplice in the attack, David Barron Corona "CH" from which he was facing the charge of intentional homicide.

Instead, of the initial sentence imposed to "El Pato" for organized crime was amended from 12 years nine months in prison, to 11 years 10 months and 15 days in jail. In addition, the original fine of $204,107 pesos and 40 cents to the amount of $77,740 pesos and 65 cents.



According to the decision in second instance, on appeal by the convicted criminal and counter party, by relatives of the founder of ZETA manager, the penalty imposed on the offender begins its count from January 19, 2004, and it would be entirely completed in early December.

The appeal was the last hope that in the case of Marcos Arturo Quiñones Sanchez will not go unpunished for his cowardly armed attack that the journalist and his bodyguard suffered on the morning of November 27, 1997 in the streets of Tijuana since he was the only one prosecuted for it.

The new ruling confirmed the impunity in attacks against journalists in Mexico, and in the case of Valero and Blancornelas, their crimes remain unsolved. Even several involved, including the Arellano Felix brothers, as masterminds, are not prosecuted for the incident.

Marcos Quinones Sanchez, who also uses the names of Marco Antonio Quiñones and Jose Antonio Torres Mendoza, was notified of the verdict in the Federal Social Rehabilitation Center No. 8 "Norponiente" in Guasave, Sinaloa, where he was transferred a few months ago, from the CEFERESO 1 of Almoloya de Juarez.

"El Pato" was one of about ten gunmen involved in the shooting that morning when Jesus Blancornelas was heading to the offices of the weekly, aboard a truck driven by Luis Valero.

Suddenly, at the intersection of Chula Vista and San Francisco, two commandos ambushed the journalist unit. Valero Elizalde sheltered his boss on the floor of the vehicle, but did not escape the bullets that hit his body. Mortally wounded, Luis got the vehicle in reverse trying to escape, but his life ended there.

Injured with four bullets, Blancornelas was on the floor of his Ford Explorer. The CAF chief assassins, David Barron Corona "CH" was going for him to finish it. When the murderer approached the automobile, some of the gunmen were still firing. A sliver of a projectile bounced and got embedded in the eye of Barron, who bled, and died in seconds.

Among the murderers who escaped "El Pato" was identified. Jesus Blancornelas survived and was able to recognize him. Even other gunmen were observed by the victim and identified in the preliminary investigation: among them the favorite bodyguard of the Arellano Felix brothers, Fabian Martinez "El Tiburón" and the gang members of Logan Heights, Michael Anthony Harvee "El Pee Wee" Isaac Guevara Hernandez "El Zigzag", Alfredo Araujo Avila "El Popeye", Antonio Peña Huerta and / or Adelaido Reyes "El Lalo" and Jose Alberto Marquez Esqueda "El Bat".

Quinones was arrested on April 24, 2003 in Tijuana. Months later Jose Alberto Esqueda "El Bat", was arrested and extradited in March 2007, along with more than a dozen thugs and drug lords to the United States. Years later Alfredo Araujo "El Popeye" was captured. In all, only "El Pato" was processed by Blancornelas case. Impunity prevailed again.

Reporter Luis Carlos Sáinz Martínez ZETA

This article was translated from Zeta Tijuana