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Killing of Vicente Bermúdez Zacarías

UNSOLVED2016Metepec, State of Mexico, Mexico3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

On 17 October 2016, Mexican federal judge Vicente Bermúdez Zacarías was shot and killed by a gunman while jogging near his home in Metepec, State of Mexico. The attacker fled with an accomplice. Surveillance footage of the attack was leaked to media the following day, complicating its use as evidence, and an eyewitness who came forward later reported being harassed.

Bermúdez Zacarías had presided over numerous high-profile organized-crime cases, and early speculation focused on cartel retaliation, though no such link was established. Investigators also pursued another line of inquiry: months before his death, the judge had filed a complaint alleging that his predecessor's wife and associates were making unauthorized visits to inmates at the Altiplano maximum-security prison. Two weeks before the killing, he told police he believed he was being followed.

The killing drew swift condemnation from Mexican officials and international human rights bodies, and the case was placed under federal jurisdiction. The investigation led to administrative consequences for several court officials over the unauthorized prison visits, including 20-year suspensions handed down in 2017. On 14 October 2019, the judge's ex-wife, Marisol Macías Gutiérrez, was arrested on suspicion of participating in the plot, with authorities alleging she sought to collect on his life insurance. In April 2024, she was convicted of the homicide and sentenced to 30 years in prison. The gunman and his accomplice remained at large.

Key facts

Victims
Vicente Bermúdez Zacarías
Date
2016
Location
Metepec, State of Mexico, Mexico
Case status
unsolved

Case timeline

  1. 2016-10-17

    Judge Vicente Bermúdez Zacarías is shot in the head while jogging in Metepec, State of Mexico, and dies before reaching a hospital.

  2. 2016-10-18

    Surveillance video of the attack is leaked to the media; Bermúdez Zacarías' body is transported to León, Guanajuato, for a wake.

  3. 2016-10-19

    Predecessor judge Jorge Arturo Porras Gutiérrez and his wife Mayumi Guadalupe Sánchez Torres deny involvement in the murder to the press.

  4. 2016-10-20

    The Council of the Federal Judiciary (CJF) files a lawsuit over the leak of the surveillance video.

  5. 2017-01-06

    The CJF suspends Porras Gutiérrez for six months over irregular prison visits linked to his former court.

  6. 2017-08-24

    The PGR identifies a suspected gunman using convenience-store surveillance footage from the time of the murder.

  7. 2017-10-17

    One year after the murder, the case had not yet been reviewed by a court, per CJF statements.

  8. 2017-10-25

    The CJF issues 20-year suspensions to Porras Gutiérrez, Sánchez Torres, and Ana Lilia Coyote Colín over prison-visit irregularities.

  9. 2017-11-09

    The CJF suspends ten court actuaries indefinitely over suspected unauthorized prison visits.

  10. 2018-06-03

    The PGR announces a MXN$1.5 million reward for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrator(s).

  11. 2019-10-14

    Bermúdez Zacarías' ex-wife, Marisol Macías Gutiérrez, is arrested on suspicion of masterminding the attack for life-insurance proceeds.

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People

  • Marisol Macías Gutiérrez

    CHARGED

    Bermúdez Zacarías' ex-wife, arrested on 14 October 2019 on suspicion of participating in and allegedly masterminding the murder for life-insurance proceeds.

  • Vicente Bermúdez Zacarías

    VICTIM

    Mexican federal appeals court judge shot and killed in Metepec, State of Mexico, on 17 October 2016.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Metepec, State of Mexico, Mexico

19.2649, -99.6031

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Mexican federal judge Vicente Bermúdez Zacarías was shot dead during a morning jog in Metepec, State of Mexico, on 17 October 2016. The killing drew national attention; his ex-wife was later convicted of arranging it and sentenced to 30 years, while the gunman remains at large.
Where did the killing happen?
Metepec, State of Mexico, Mexico.
What is the current status of the case?
Status: unsolved.
More cases in Mexico

Sources

  1. PRESSCondenan a 30 años de prisión a Marisol Macías por homicidio de juez federalMVS Noticias · 2026-07-11
  2. ENCYCLOPEDICMurder of Vicente Bermúdez ZacaríasWikipedia · 2026-07-10
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage of the killing of Judge Vicente Bermúdez ZacaríasLos Angeles Times · 2026-07-10