Authorities Announce the Identity of the Killer of Chapo's Nephew, Who Was Shot in Chihuahua

"HEARST" for Borderland Beat

Authorities have now released the identity of the local man who shot Chapo’s nephew, Fermín Hedel Guzmán Martínez, alias “El Cuñado”, at a party in Guadalupe y Calvo, in the state of Chihuahua.

The Late Night Argument At A Party 

As previously covered by Sol, during the early morning hours of Thursday, September 15, 2022, a man shot Fermín Hedel Guzmán Martínez during a public event that was a part of the local Mexican Independence Day celebrations that were being hosted in the municipality of Guadalupe y Calvo in the state of Chihuahua (the schedule of which can be found here). 

On that night, September 14, the Coronation Ball was held in the main plaza square, Donato Guerra Plaza, starting at 11:00 pm. The groups Los Dinámicos JR and Décima Banda played the event.  

The party continued into the night, and at approximately 2:25 am, a man shot Fermín Guzmán approximately four times. After he was shot, police swarmed the scene and Fermín Guzmán was found to still be alive so he was rushed to the local hospital however he was pronounced dead shortly after being admitted. 

The Shooter's Identity

Following the initial reports of Fermín Guzmán’s death comes the news that his shooter has been arrested. The attacker was, in fact, just shortly after the shooting, while he was still on the premises of the party, however law enforcement did not choose to disclose his identity until Friday, September 16. 

This delay was likely due to law enforcement conducting witness interviews in order to ensure they caught the right guy before presenting him as a person of interest to the public. 

The man alleged to be the shooter is a local named Ubaldino C.V., who is 42 years old and originally from Baborigame, a small town within Guadalupe y Calvo, Chihuahua.

Ubaldino reportedly shot Fermín Guzmán with a 9mm Ruger pistol, a firearm which was seized from him on scene and shown below. 

El Norte writes that Ubaldino and Fermín were drinking with each other and “witnesses said that he shot him after an argument.” 

Infobae also alleges the two men were drinking together and they write that “sources consulted by Infobae Mexico confirmed that the execution was not planned.” They add that “This was not an orchestrated attack, but a crime perpetrated in the course of the dance.” 

Meanwhile Excelsior writes the shooting was “apparently because of old quarrels.”

So, Who is This Nephew? 

News articles differ on the age of Fermín Guzmán with some, like Riodoce, alleging he was 36 and others, like Tribuna, alleging he was 37. Publications differ even on what chapo nephew’s name is, with sources like Excelsior, writing that his name is Fermín Hedel Guzmán, while sources like Reforma write his name is Edel Guzmán.

The source that seems to give us the most complete version of his name comes from an 2013 Facebook post covering an old arrest (more on that later). This post names him as Fermín Hedel Guzmán Martínez. 

El Norte reports that his official residence on government records was an address located in Badiraguato, Sinaloa. 

Fermín’s cousin Rosa Armisa Flores Guzmán posted on social media "D.E.P. to cousin Edel. We will always remember you, always, and carry you in our hearts, and therefore you are reunited with your dad. I will never forget you, as if I’m a sister.” 

A corrido he commissioned from the group Alegres del Barranco alleges that Fermín got his cartel alias, “El Cuñado”, when Chapo himself started calling him that. The word cuñado means brother-in-law, however, the term is often used to refer to anyone you like or are close with. 

The corrido also alleges he was born in Rancho de La Tuna in Badiraguato, Sinaloa. 

On November 28, 2013, Fermin was arrested in Retalhuleu, Guatemala, and found to be in possession of 7 packages of marijuana, cigars and one package of white powder presumed to be cocaine. 

But, how do we know this guy in Guatemala who was caught smuggling petty amounts of drugs, is the same as the nephew of Chapo? 

Well, we can never be one hundred percent certain but coverage of the Guatemala arrest does state that the detainees was “Fermín Hedel Guzmán Martínez, of Mexican nationality, a native of Chapultepec, in Culiacan city, from the state of Sinaloa.” 

Details like him being from Culiacan, as well as the names matching, makes it highly likely that the detained “Fermín Hedel Guzmán Martínez” was the same “Fermín Hedel Guzmán” that Excelsior described in 2022 as Chapo’s nephew. 

Very few articles covering Fermín’s 2013 Guatemala arrest remain online, almost as if it's been scrubbed from the internet, with just the aforementioned Facebook post and a scan of newspaper Prensa Libre remaining as the only public documentation it ever happened.

Sources: Riodoce, Jornada, Excelsior, El Norte,  Juarez Noticias, Notigram, Tribuna, Vivo Noticias, La Opción, El Monitor de Parral, El Diario, El Heraldo de Chihuahua, La Opinion, Debate, El Universo, EL Heraldo de Chihuahua, Las Noticias con Javier