15 December 2015

Héctor Félix Miranda

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Place of Birth: Choix, Sinaloa State Age at Time of Death: 48 Marital Status: Single Education: Training in accounting. Profession / occupation: Journalist. Co-publisher of weekly Zeta and author of column "Un poco de algo " (A Little Bit of Something). Journalism background: In 1970, joined the administration department of the newspaper Baja California. Wrote about sports for an afternoon paper and did some news photography. Was founder and columnist for the daily ABC until the state government expropriated it in 1979. With long-time partner Jesus Blancornelas founded the weekly Zeta on April 11, 1980. Wrote and published a column until his death. Years as a journalist: 13 Awards and distinctions: None Hobbies: He preferred to travel and visit new places more than any other activity. He was a passionate baseball fan.

Place of Birth: Choix, Sinaloa State Age at Time of Death: 48 Marital Status: Single Education: Training in accounting. Profession / occupation: Journalist. Co-publisher of weekly Zeta and author of column "Un poco de algo " (A Little Bit of Something). Journalism background: In 1970, joined the administration department of the newspaper Baja California. Wrote about sports for an afternoon paper and did some news photography. Was founder and columnist for the daily ABC until the state government expropriated it in 1979. With long-time partner Jesus Blancornelas founded the weekly Zeta on April 11, 1980. Wrote and published a column until his death. Years as a journalist: 13 Awards and distinctions: None Hobbies: He preferred to travel and visit new places more than any other activity. He was a passionate baseball fan.

History

Héctor Felix Miranda, Mexico

The clock said 10 past nine in the morning on April 20, 1988. Hector "El Gato" Félix Miranda was driving his truck through the streets of Tijuana, Baja California, to his work as co-director of Zeta magazine, which he had co-founded eight years before with his old friend and colleague Jesús Blancornelas. He was alone.

Near the end of the steep street a black car with tinted windows blocked his path and, without allowing him a second to react, opened fire with two shots from a 12mm shotgun. The first broke the window, landing in the journalist's left shoulder; the second tore into the side of his chest. "El Gato Felix" lay dead across the passenger seat as the black car with its mysterious murderer fled.

What was the motive behind the crime? Possibly, the criticism and complaints in his column "A Little Something" about corruption, illicit enrichment, drug trafficking, torture, murder, and accusations against individuals and public agencies, both local and national.

Investigations led to the arrest and interrogation of Victoriano Medina Moreno, a former policeman and security guard at the Tijuana racetrack, and his boss there, Antonio Vera Palestina. The courts found them guilty of executing the crime and sentenced them to 27 and 25 years in prison, respectively.

But the investigation stopped there, and still remains frozen without having gone after the masterminds. The IAPA presented the case before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), which handed down a recommendation to the Mexican state to solve the crime. Together with the IAPA, Mexico then created a task group to review the case file – a process that is now underway.

Blancornelas, who died in November 2009, kept a running banner under Zeta's column "A Little Something" as a reminder to officials to find and punish the masterminds. It made no difference.

It was also surprising when, just as steps were being taken to combat impunity for crimes against journalists, the murder defendant Antonio Vera Palestina became eligible for early release under special prison benefits before completing even 10 years of his 25 year conviction.

Case Summary

Date of murder: April 20, 1988 Where and how murdered: It was 9:15 a.m. when a station wagon followed Félix's automobile as he drove alone to work in Tijuana. At the bottom of a hill, a black Trans-Am blocked his path. A person — it was not clear whether he got out of the Trans-Am — fired two shots from a .12mm rifle at close range. One shot broke the window and hit Félix in the shoulder. The other ripped through his chest. Félix slumped to the passenger seat and died. The station wagon and Trans-Am made off at high speed. Possible motives: Allegations Félix had made about corruption, illicit enrichment, drug trafficking, torture, murder, etc. involving private persons and groups, as well as local, state and national government officials. Suspects in the crime: Two suspects were arrested, charged and sentenced: Victoriano Medina Moreno, a former member of the Judicial Police force in Baja California state and security guard at the Agua Caliente race track in Tijuana; and his boss, Antonio Vera Palestina, chief of security at the race track. Medina, who claimed police had tortured him into making a confession, was sentenced to 27 years' imprisonment; Vera was given 25 years. No one has been accused or tried, or even questioned, for having arranged the murder. Violent consequences: There have been no reports of violence resulting directly from the murder. Irregularities in the legal proceedings: After Medina's arrest and confession, in which he implicated Vera, police failed on to find out who might be behind the murder; instead it promptly closed the case. The day of the murder, Vera had received a payment equivalent to $10,000, a fact not followed up. The state attorney's office said it would further investigate evidence of a financial link between Vera and the race track, but it never did. After Vera's arrest, the state government lost interest in finding out who might have masterminded the murder. The case currently remains open but the investigation is at a standstill.

News Reports Cases

Previous investigation

Sorprendida la SIP por posible liberación de uno de los asesinos de Héctor Félix Miranda

Confirman amparo a Vera Palestina*

RECLAMO PERMANENTE

Fina estampa

Judicial Proceedings

Journalist, co-editor of the weekly Zeta and writer of the column "Un poco de algo" (A Little of Something), Tijuana, Baja California.

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