Jalisco Woman Is Burned Alive, Killed After Documenting Death Threats Against Her For Months

By "El Huaso" for Borderland Beat

After documenting violent threats allegedly left by an ex partner, Luz Raquel Padilla Gutierrez, 35, was brutally attacked in Zapopan, Jalisco on July 16, and died this afternoon, July 19. The aggressors doused her with alcohol before setting her alight, fatally burning her. 

According to Informador, witnesses said that there were four male and one female assailants. They fled the scene after the attack. According to Proceso, one of the attackers was her ex partner. However, sources closer to her claim that the attack was perpetrated by a neighbor for the noise made by a boy with disabilities she was taking care of.

Following the attack, she was taken to Hospital Civil in Guadalajara for treatment for 3rd degree burns, but succumbed to her wounds this afternoon. She leaves behind an 11 year old orphan she was taking care of.

For months, Gutierrez had documented the threats allegedly left by a neighbor, who lived in the same apartment building as her. She posted photos of threatening messages spray painted on the walls of the building, some of which said: "I am going to burn you alive", and "You are going to die, lesbian". 

On May 17, she posted on twitter that her neighbor had attacked her with bleach, and that she was facing daily threats from him. According to a statement by the Jalisco State Prosecutor's office (FE), an investigation was opened into this. The statement adds that the Ministerio Público, the police body tasked with protecting witnesses, had provided her with protective measures. This is however contradicted by a statement left by an activist group she was a part of, which claimed that her plea for protection was rejected.

"How long will I need to live with fear that something will happen to me or my family, my aggressor still walks around the city, threatening to do harm", she posted on Twitter. Despite gaining traction on social media, her pleas for help from the government fell on deaf ears.

Gutierrez was an activist for families caring for those with disabilities. On Twitter, @yocuidomexico, the activist group she was a part of posted a message saying that she was killed by a neighbor who hated the noises the child she was taking care of. The boy has severe autism and requires 24/7 care, according to the statement.

The Jalisco State Prosecutor’s Office is currently investigating the crime as a femicide.

Last year, there were 1,004 femicides in Mexico, although experts say this number is artificially low. According to government data, the femicide count is accelerating, outpacing the normal homicide count, with a 129% increase between 2015 and 2020. The victims are often killed by people they know, such as ex boyfriends. 

Impunity is rampant. Femicides are under investigated by authorities in Mexico, with 1/3 of states in Mexico lacking special prosecutors for gender-based violence. Experts say that women are often disregarded and mistreated by authorities when they report threats or violence.

Mexico's criminal code defines a murder as a femicide when the victim is killed on account of her gender, which is determined to be the case if one of seven criteria are met. One of the criteria is if the victim was previously threatened with harm or death by the aggressor, a criteria which appears to have been met in this case.

Sources: Informador, Azteca Noticias, FE Jalisco Statement, Justia Mexico, @GutirrezPadilla Twitter, May 17 Report, Proceso, Feminicidio e Impunidad en México: Un Contexto de Violencia Estructural y Generalizada - CMDPDH, Financiero, @yocuidomexico statement

Background reading: Analyzing the Problem of Femicide in Mexico by Justice in Mexico, Mexico Institute, Mexico Institute Femicide Initiative