Marisela Escobedo Ortiz (June 12, 1958 – December 16, 2010) was a Mexican social activist from
Juarez, Chihuahua, who was assassinated while protesting the 2008 murder of her daughter.
Background
Marisela Escobedo Ortiz's social activism began in 2008 in
Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez ( ; ''Juarez City''. ) is the most populous city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It is commonly referred to as Juárez and was known as El Paso del Norte (''The Pass of the North'') until 1888. Juárez is the seat of the Juà ...
following the murder of her 16-year-old daughter Rubà Frayre. Escobedo and her husband claimed that their daughter was murdered by Sergio Rafael Barraza Bocanegra. They managed to locate Barraza in
Fresnillo, Zacatecas
Fresnillo (/fres'nijo/), founded in 1554 by Francisco de Ibarra, is the second largest city in Zacatecas state, north central Mexico and the seat of Fresnillo municipality. As a rail and highway junction, Fresnillo is the center of a rich mining ...
, where he was arrested and taken to Juarez where he confessed to the crime in court and told of the burial of the remains of RubÃ. Barraza was however acquitted by judges for lack of evidence and was released, thereby generating a scandal that became known nationally and internationally.
In response, Escobedo began a series of protests against the resolution against Chihuahua state authorities, asking for Barraza to be arrested and tried again, appealing the decision. A circuit court overturned the acquittal and Barraza was sentenced for murder, while Barraza remained a fugitive from justice. After numerous representations to the governors
Jose Reyes Baeza Terrazas and
Cesar Duarte Jáquez, they moved their protest to the Plaza Hidalgo in the city of
Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to:
Places
*Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state
**Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state
**Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state
**Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state
**Chihuahua Mun ...
in front of the Government Palace, the home of the governor, where on 16 December 2010 Escobedo was killed by an unknown assassin by a single shot to the head.
Barraza, who was also suspected of ordering Escobedo's murder, was killed during a clash with the Mexican military in 2012.
Timeline of Events
2008
* August: Escobedo's daughter, Rubà Frayre disappears in Ciudad Juárez.
2009
* June: Escobedo locates Sergio Rafael Barraza Bocanegra in Zacatecas. He is detained, confesses to the murder of Rubà and provides details on where her body is located.
2010
* April: Citing a lack of evidence, Barraza is acquitted.
* May: A circuit court overturns the acquittal and sentences Barraza to 50 years in prison for the homicide of Rubà Frayre.
* July: Escobedo locates Barraza once again in Zacatecas but he escapes before authorities are able to arrest him. Escobedo travels to Mexico City to request an audience with then president of Mexico,
Felipe Calderón
Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa (; born 18 August 1962) is a Mexican politician who served as the 63rd president of Mexico from 1 December 2006 to 30 November 2012 and Secretary of Energy during the presidency of Vicente Fox between 2003 a ...
in order to solicit justice for the murder of her daughter. This request was not granted. Arturo Matus Espino, head of the Oficina de Atención Ciudadana de la Presidencia de la República, met with Escobedo and fellow activist,
Bertha Alicia GarcÃa, and pledged to continue investigating the deaths of Rubà and GarcÃa's daughter, Brenda Berenice Castillo, as well as accelerate the investigation of cases of femicide in the country
*December 8: Escobedo begins a sit-in in front of the Government Palace of Chihuahua, to demand the arrest of Barraza.
*December 16: Escobedo is assassinated.
Cultural references
In film
*The
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
documentary ''
Las tres muertes de Marisela Escobedo'' (2020) directed by
Carlos Pérez Osorio is based on her story.
In music
*Marisela Escobedo's name, as well as the name of her daughter, Rubà Frayre, were featured in a version of the song "
Canción sin miedo
"Canción sin miedo" is a song of the Regional Mexican, regional Mexican genre by Mexican composer Vivir Quintana that speaks about the Violence against women, violence experienced by women, it has become an anthem in Marche mondiale des Femmes, fe ...
" by Mexican singer/songwriter
Vivir Quintana.
In Theatre
*''La Ruta ''by Issac Gomez has a character Marisela based on Marisela Escobedo Ortiz
See also
*
Female homicides in Ciudad Juárez
Female (symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete during sexual reproduction.
A female has larger gametes than a male. Females a ...
*
List of unsolved murders
These lists of unsolved murders include notable cases where victims were murdered in unknown circumstances.
* List of unsolved murders (before 1900)
* List of unsolved murders (1900–1979)
* List of unsolved murders (1980–1999)
* List of unsol ...
*
Mexican Drug War
*
Susana Chávez
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ortiz Escobedo, Marisela
1958 births
2010 deaths
2010 murders in Mexico
Female murder victims
Filmed assassinations
Mexican activists
Mexican women activists
Unsolved murders in Mexico
People from Chihuahua City
Femicide in Mexico