00:00:00
when 20 year old Matthew levison failed
00:00:03
to return home after a night out
00:00:04
clubbing in Sydney his loved ones were
00:00:07
worried sick
00:00:09
suspicion soon fell on Matt's partner 45
00:00:12
year old Michael Atkins after it was
00:00:14
revealed that the pair were fighting on
00:00:16
the night of Matt's disappearance but
00:00:19
was that unfortunate timing or did
00:00:21
Atkins have something to hide
00:00:24
Maddie is the latest podcast from
00:00:27
casefile presents a 10-part series
00:00:29
narrated by Lauren O'Keefe from the
00:00:32
missing persons advocacy Network
00:00:34
Maddie from casefile presents is
00:00:37
available to stream for free right now
00:00:39
only on Spotify
00:00:42
stay tuned until the end of today's
00:00:44
episode to hear the trailer
00:00:57
[Music]
00:01:01
our episodes deal with serious and often
00:01:03
distressing incidents if you feel at any
00:01:05
time you need support please contact
00:01:07
your local crisis center for suggested
00:01:10
phone numbers for confidential support
00:01:11
please see the show notes for this
00:01:13
episode on your app or on our website
00:01:23
on Sunday December 12 2010 52 year old
00:01:28
Maricela Escobedo stood in Chihuahua
00:01:31
City's main Square Plaza Hidalgo
00:01:33
surrounded by news camera Crews and
00:01:36
reporters
00:01:38
in view of the Government Palace where
00:01:40
the executive officers of the state
00:01:42
Governor were housed Maricela based a
00:01:45
bombardment of questions
00:01:48
the mother of five business owner and a
00:01:51
Night Nurse responded to H1
00:01:53
matter-of-factly
00:01:55
yes he is still in Mexico
00:01:58
yes I've had threats made against me
00:02:02
no I won't be going into hiding
00:02:05
[Music]
00:02:07
despite everything Maricela remained
00:02:10
defiant
00:02:12
if this man is going to kill me she
00:02:15
announced
00:02:16
let him come and kill me here
00:02:28
[Music]
00:02:35
thank you
00:02:38
[Music]
00:02:47
by December 2008 it had been several
00:02:50
months since anyone had heard from Ruby
00:02:52
freyr
00:02:54
the 16 year old lived in an apartment in
00:02:57
the Mexican city of Juarez that was
00:02:59
owned by her mother Maricela escobero
00:03:03
Maricela had offered the residents to
00:03:05
her daughter rent free as while Ruby
00:03:08
sought Independence she was struggling
00:03:10
financially
00:03:12
Maricela initially thought Ruby hadn't
00:03:15
been in touch because she couldn't
00:03:16
afford to pay her phone bill and had
00:03:18
lost access to the service
00:03:21
But as time wore on maricela's concerns
00:03:25
grew
00:03:26
she sent her Elder son Juan to visit
00:03:29
Ruby and check up on her
00:03:31
he was surprised to find her apartment
00:03:34
completely bare
00:03:38
22 year old Sergio Barraza was at his
00:03:41
mother's house when there was a knock at
00:03:43
the door
00:03:45
it was Maricela Escobedo
00:03:49
Sergio had been employed as a laborer at
00:03:51
the workshop Maricela co-rand with her
00:03:54
partner Jose monhei
00:03:57
he was also dating maricela's daughter
00:03:59
Ruby
00:04:01
a few months earlier in late August
00:04:04
Sergio had taken a week off work
00:04:07
he'd told Maricela that he needed to
00:04:09
care for his father who had been injured
00:04:11
in a road accident
00:04:14
Weeks Later Sergio resigned
00:04:18
now that Ruby was missing Maricela
00:04:21
figured her boyfriend might know a thing
00:04:23
or two about her daughter's whereabouts
00:04:26
yet Sergio claimed that he hadn't seen
00:04:30
Ruby since November saying that she had
00:04:32
run off with some tall white guy in a
00:04:35
black car
00:04:38
Maricela gazed Beyond where Sergio was
00:04:41
standing and looked into his house
00:04:44
a lump Rose in her throat
00:04:48
she could see Ruby and Sergio's 15 month
00:04:51
old daughter
00:04:53
Maricela knew Ruby would never willingly
00:04:55
leave her child and was certain
00:04:57
something bad must have happened
00:05:01
in the city of Juarez anything was
00:05:04
possible
00:05:07
criminal groups known as cartels sought
00:05:10
control of the city as it bordered the
00:05:12
U.S state of Texas
00:05:15
by 2008 the conflict had reached the
00:05:18
boiling point
00:05:20
gang violence engulfed the city as the
00:05:23
incumbent Juarez cartel known for
00:05:25
decapitating and mutilating its Rivals
00:05:28
Ford off Sinaloa cartel run by notorious
00:05:32
drug lord El Chapo
00:05:35
law-abiding citizens were caught in the
00:05:37
crossfire and often fell victim to wider
00:05:40
organized crimes such as racketeering
00:05:42
and human trafficking
00:05:46
fearing the worst for her daughter
00:05:48
Maricela Escobedo went to file a missing
00:05:51
person report
00:05:53
the police refused to process it
00:05:55
believing Ruby had indeed run away with
00:05:58
another man
00:06:01
unconvinced and undeterred Maricela
00:06:04
began her own search
00:06:07
she bravely ventured into the city's
00:06:09
most dangerous neighborhoods scouring
00:06:11
nightclubs and brothels while putting up
00:06:14
posters and pressing passers-by for
00:06:16
information
00:06:19
after almost a month of desperate and
00:06:22
dogged searching Maricela finally
00:06:24
received a worthwhile tip-off
00:06:28
on Tuesday January 27 2009 a 17 year old
00:06:33
boy named Angel Valles contacted
00:06:36
Maricela offering to tell her everything
00:06:39
he knew
00:06:41
and hell was clearly terrified when
00:06:44
speaking with Maricela
00:06:46
he trembled as he detailed what had
00:06:48
happened one evening in late August
00:06:50
2008.
00:06:53
and hell was hanging out with a group of
00:06:55
friends when Sergio Barraza and his
00:06:58
brother Andy arrived
00:07:01
Sergio boasted that he had just killed
00:07:03
his girlfriend burned her body and then
00:07:06
dumped her remains quote
00:07:09
with the pigs
00:07:16
when Maricela initially questioned
00:07:18
Sergio about Ruby's disappearance he had
00:07:21
told her that Ruby had run off with some
00:07:24
tall white guy in a black car
00:07:27
it was a familiar lie
00:07:30
on a previous occasion Maricella had
00:07:33
entered her Workshop looking for Ruby
00:07:35
and upon querying Sergio he told her
00:07:38
that Ruby had run away with a tall white
00:07:41
man in a black car
00:07:44
acella accepted Sergio's word and made
00:07:48
note of it in a missing person's report
00:07:51
Ruby then reappeared the following
00:07:54
morning in tears
00:07:56
as detailed by Mexican news magazine
00:07:59
processo it was at this point that
00:08:02
Maricela discovered that Sergio had been
00:08:05
grooming her daughter since Ruby was 14
00:08:07
years old
00:08:09
Sergio who was then married and had a
00:08:12
five-year-old daughter had convinced
00:08:14
Ruby to run away with him
00:08:16
he kept her hidden in a warehouse a few
00:08:19
blocks from his apartment
00:08:21
upon realizing she had actually been
00:08:24
abandoned by Sergio Ruby returned home
00:08:27
to her mother devastated
00:08:31
after this incident Maricela fired
00:08:33
Sergio and kept a close eye on Ruby
00:08:37
but Sergio didn't give up and tracked
00:08:39
Ruby down at her school
00:08:42
in early May of 2006 he persuaded Ruby
00:08:46
to move in with him
00:08:49
Maricela tried to convince her daughter
00:08:51
to leave Sergio who smashed the
00:08:54
windshield of maricela's car in
00:08:56
retaliation
00:08:58
given the age of consent in the state of
00:09:00
Chihuahua was 18 Maricela considered
00:09:03
reporting Sergio for statutory rape
00:09:07
however she understood that Sergio's
00:09:10
control over Ruby ensured that her
00:09:12
daughter would never testify against him
00:09:16
then in October Ruby discovered she was
00:09:19
pregnant
00:09:21
not wanting to damage her relationship
00:09:23
with her daughter any further Maricela
00:09:26
changed tactics
00:09:28
she provided Sergio and Ruby with a
00:09:30
rent-free apartment
00:09:32
rehired Sergio at the workshop and
00:09:35
offered to pay for all pre and postnatal
00:09:37
expenses
00:09:39
during her pregnancy Ruby spent most of
00:09:42
her time with her mother and the two
00:09:44
became close
00:09:46
but after Ruby gave birth Sergio began
00:09:50
the process of isolating her from her
00:09:52
family
00:09:54
as the months passed Maricela saw less
00:09:57
and less of ruby and after waving
00:10:00
goodbye to Ruby on Friday August 22
00:10:02
2008.
00:10:04
Maricela never saw her again
00:10:11
Maricela was devastated after hearing
00:10:14
unhealth Vader's story implicating
00:10:16
Sergio in her daughter's murder
00:10:20
she went home and informed her other
00:10:22
children what had happened to their
00:10:24
sister resolving to never rest until she
00:10:27
brought Sergio Barraza to Justice
00:10:31
Maricela convinced a wary unheld to
00:10:34
repeat his story to the authorities and
00:10:36
with that an investigation into Ruby
00:10:39
freire's disappearance finally began
00:10:43
it brought with it a startling
00:10:45
revelation
00:10:49
on August 30 the previous year Sergio
00:10:52
barraza's stepfather had personally
00:10:54
attended the police station to report
00:10:56
Ruby's murder
00:10:58
he said that Sergio had used his van to
00:11:02
transport Ruby's body
00:11:04
police officers visited Sergio's house
00:11:07
but upon finding no evidence of a murder
00:11:10
having been committed there they
00:11:12
completely dismissed Sergio's
00:11:14
stepfather's claims and didn't pursue
00:11:16
the matter any further
00:11:19
by the time all this came to light
00:11:21
Sergio was long gone
00:11:24
he'd fled the state of Chihuahua taking
00:11:27
Ruby's now 20-month-old daughter with
00:11:30
him
00:11:31
at the time any movement of a child
00:11:34
across state lines required the consent
00:11:37
of the mother
00:11:38
as Ruby was not officially listed as
00:11:41
deceased Sergio had effectively abducted
00:11:44
their child
00:11:47
the abduction prompted a separate
00:11:49
ministerial investigation though it was
00:11:52
maricela's own detective work that
00:11:55
tracked Sergio down to the city of
00:11:57
fresnio some 1100 kilometers away
00:12:02
Sergio was promptly arrested and
00:12:05
Maricela was given custody of her
00:12:07
granddaughter
00:12:10
while being transferred back to Juarez
00:12:12
for the crime of abduction Sergio made a
00:12:15
spontaneous confession
00:12:18
he told the ministerial police officers
00:12:20
that Ruby had been unfaithful to him and
00:12:23
in retaliation he'd beaten her to death
00:12:27
with the help of his brother Andy
00:12:29
Barraza Sergio transported Ruby's body
00:12:32
in his stepfather's van to a landfill on
00:12:35
the outskirts of Juarez
00:12:38
bones and fat from animal carcasses were
00:12:41
routinely dumped there so the men
00:12:43
believed it to be the ideal spot to burn
00:12:46
Ruby's body
00:12:49
Sergio directed The ministerial police
00:12:52
officers to the exact location of the
00:12:54
pyre where they uncovered 39 charred
00:12:58
human bones that were confirmed to be
00:13:01
the remains of Ruby freyr
00:13:13
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[Music]
00:16:53
trial for the murder of Ruby freyr
00:16:56
commenced in April 2010.
00:16:59
the now 18 year old angel Villas bravely
00:17:02
testified against Sergio in court
00:17:06
he described the moment Sergio bragged
00:17:09
about having killed Ruby before burning
00:17:11
and dumping her remains
00:17:14
a ministerial police officer who
00:17:17
arrested Sergio maintained that Sergio
00:17:19
was solely responsible for what happened
00:17:22
to Ruby as she was found in the exact
00:17:25
location and the exact manner Sergio had
00:17:28
described
00:17:30
in an unexpected about face Sergio's
00:17:33
stepfather told the court that Sergio
00:17:36
hadn't confessed to him that he'd killed
00:17:38
Ruby despite him saying so to police
00:17:40
shortly after it happened
00:17:43
he was now claiming that Sergio had only
00:17:46
confessed to assaulting Ruby
00:17:49
some believed the man had changed his
00:17:52
story to protect Sergio
00:17:55
in emotional testimony Maricela Escobedo
00:17:59
said that the defendant had destroyed
00:18:01
her heart her hope and her faith but not
00:18:05
her life
00:18:07
she pledged that one day her family
00:18:10
would smile again because life demands
00:18:13
it
00:18:15
Maricela explicitly entrusted Sergio's
00:18:18
fate into the hands of the court and
00:18:20
concluded her testimony by addressing
00:18:23
Sergio directly
00:18:25
may God forgive you because I don't
00:18:31
Sergio Barraza chose not to testify
00:18:35
he did however take the opportunity to
00:18:37
respond to Maricela as was his right
00:18:40
under Mexican law
00:18:44
in front of the three presiding judges
00:18:46
Sergio acknowledged maricela's lack of
00:18:49
forgiveness and apologized to her for
00:18:52
the great harm caused
00:18:54
he said that he'd found God while in
00:18:57
jail on remand but that otherwise he had
00:19:00
no words
00:19:03
after three days of Court proceedings
00:19:05
the judges retired to deliberate
00:19:09
Maricela told reporters that she would
00:19:12
accept nothing less than the maximum
00:19:14
sentence for her daughter's murderer
00:19:18
the unanimous verdict was read aloud
00:19:22
for the murder of Ruby fryer Sergio
00:19:25
Barraza was found not guilty
00:19:33
after both literally and figuratively
00:19:36
picking herself up off the floor
00:19:38
Maricela Escobedo appealed to the
00:19:41
state's higher Court claiming that the
00:19:43
trial's original three judges had made
00:19:46
serious errors of law in reaching their
00:19:48
decision
00:19:50
the appeal also highlighted that
00:19:52
efficiencies in the investigation itself
00:19:55
particularly the little effort made by
00:19:58
authorities to examine anything beyond
00:20:00
the evidence and witnesses that
00:20:02
Maricella herself uncovered
00:20:05
they hadn't even bothered to track down
00:20:07
on hell of veers as friends who had also
00:20:10
witnessed Sergio bragging about Ruby's
00:20:12
murder
00:20:15
it was also found that the murder trial
00:20:17
judges had incorrectly disregarded
00:20:19
Angel's testimony as hearsay when it
00:20:23
should have been considered
00:20:24
circumstantial evidence
00:20:27
despite Ruby's remains having been found
00:20:30
to dumped and burnt the original judges
00:20:33
had focused on the lack of a formal
00:20:35
cause of death to conclude that no
00:20:37
homicide had been committed
00:20:40
in contrast the appeal court said it was
00:20:44
a certainty that Ruby had been murdered
00:20:47
while the state appellate courts
00:20:49
supported the judge's original decision
00:20:51
to disregard Sergio's confession to
00:20:54
police as it was given without a lawyer
00:20:56
present they determined that Sergio's in
00:20:59
court apology to Maricela Escobedo
00:21:02
should have been considered a confession
00:21:04
as it was in the presence of his lawyer
00:21:08
in late May 2010 the appeal court
00:21:12
overturned the acquittal
00:21:14
Sergio Barraza was found guilty of the
00:21:17
murder of Ruby freyr and sentenced to 50
00:21:20
years in prison
00:21:23
the sentence was meaningless
00:21:26
before the appeal court handed down its
00:21:28
decision Sergio still a free man at this
00:21:31
point once again fled the state of
00:21:34
Chihuahua
00:21:35
his whereabouts were unknown
00:21:38
[Music]
00:21:43
fueled by frustration and anger Maricela
00:21:47
Escobedo quit her nursing job and left
00:21:49
her Workshop business to join forces
00:21:52
with a human rights defense group called
00:21:54
Justice for daughters
00:21:57
alongside her family and other group
00:21:59
members Maricela began a crusade for
00:22:03
justice
00:22:05
she marched on the country's capital of
00:22:07
Mexico City armed with life-sized
00:22:10
photographs of Ruby banners demanding
00:22:12
Justice and wanted posters featuring
00:22:15
Sergio Barraza
00:22:18
covering nearly 1800 kilometers Maricela
00:22:22
met with City and town officials along
00:22:24
the way to explain her case and request
00:22:27
that they turn over Sergio should he be
00:22:30
found within their limits
00:22:32
she Drew media attention in any way she
00:22:35
could even walking naked with the just
00:22:38
the banner wrapped around her body
00:22:42
Maricela told reporters that she was
00:22:44
marching against the systemic impunity
00:22:46
For Those who commit violence against
00:22:48
women
00:22:51
soon the case of Ruby fryer became the
00:22:54
latest symbol of the growing femicide
00:22:57
epidemic in Mexico
00:22:59
after nearly four weeks of daily
00:23:01
marching Maricela finally arrived in
00:23:04
Mexico City where she requested an
00:23:07
audience with President Felipe Calderon
00:23:10
he refused to see her
00:23:16
upon her return to Juarez Maricela was
00:23:19
dismayed to discover that although
00:23:22
Sergio was a convicted murderer and a
00:23:24
wanted fugitive the authorities had done
00:23:27
absolutely nothing to locate him
00:23:31
once again she was forced to take
00:23:33
matters into her own hands
00:23:36
acting on a hunch she returned to
00:23:39
fresnio the city where she had
00:23:41
previously found Sergio when he was on
00:23:43
the run in June 2009
00:23:46
it didn't take long for Maricela to
00:23:49
learn where he was living now
00:23:52
she informed authorities and on Tuesday
00:23:55
July 13 2010 they descended on the
00:23:59
property
00:24:00
despite the dozens of heavily armed
00:24:03
state federal and military police Sergio
00:24:06
was able to escape out the rear of the
00:24:09
house before disappearing Into the Night
00:24:14
months passed and the authorities made
00:24:16
zero effort to pick up Sergio's Trail
00:24:20
it was left to Maricela to hunt down her
00:24:23
daughter's killer
00:24:26
by now rumors were circulating that
00:24:28
Sergio was under the protection of the
00:24:31
state's cartel Los Zetas
00:24:34
in time Maricela began receiving veiled
00:24:38
threats including from Sergio's Brother
00:24:41
Andy Barraza
00:24:44
pressing forward irrespective of the
00:24:46
danger Maricela eventually discovered
00:24:49
Sergio's whereabouts
00:24:52
as she suspected he hadn't left fresnio
00:24:58
when Maricela approached the house a
00:25:01
young woman opened the door
00:25:04
the girl said she was Sergio's
00:25:06
girlfriend and that he was indeed a
00:25:09
member of lost Zetas
00:25:12
Maricela now understood what the fres
00:25:15
Neo authorities were unwilling to arrest
00:25:18
Sergio
00:25:20
in 2010 Los Zetas was the largest cartel
00:25:25
in Mexico
00:25:27
described by the United States Drug
00:25:29
Enforcement Administration as the most
00:25:32
technologically advanced sophisticated
00:25:34
and violent cartel lost his etas
00:25:38
controlled the majority of the country's
00:25:40
States
00:25:42
as far as the fres Neo authorities were
00:25:45
concerned Sergio Barraza who had risen
00:25:48
rapidly through the ranks of a losses at
00:25:50
us was untouchable
00:25:52
foreign
00:25:57
despite this Revelation Maricela refused
00:26:00
to back down
00:26:02
she had spent two years fighting for
00:26:04
justice and it had taken an immense toll
00:26:07
on her health and well-being
00:26:09
but this didn't dissuade her from
00:26:12
commencing a sit-in vigil in Chihuahua
00:26:14
City's main Square Plaza Hidalgo
00:26:17
directly in front of the Government
00:26:19
Palace
00:26:21
starting on December 5 2010 Maricela
00:26:25
vowed to remain in the plaza until
00:26:27
Sergio Barraza was arrested
00:26:31
she aimed to Garner the attention of the
00:26:34
new State Governor Cesar dawate who'd
00:26:37
been elected on the promise that he'd
00:26:39
bring order to Chihuahua
00:26:42
for days Maricela sat in the plaza
00:26:45
surrounded by posters and Banners
00:26:47
denouncing the lack of justice for her
00:26:49
daughter
00:26:50
[Music]
00:26:51
she was supported by A procession of
00:26:53
family friends and fellow human rights
00:26:56
Defenders
00:26:58
then on December 8 Maricela confronted
00:27:01
Governor Duarte in front of the
00:27:04
Government Palace calling him out on his
00:27:06
failures and embarrassing him in front
00:27:08
of the media
00:27:10
in response a visibly annoyed Duarte
00:27:14
invited Maricela to speak directly with
00:27:17
the State Attorney General Carlos Salas
00:27:22
Maricela accepted the offer and in the
00:27:25
meeting she told Salas all she had
00:27:27
uncovered regarding Sergio barraza's
00:27:30
whereabouts links to Los Zetas and the
00:27:33
ineffective policing that allowed him to
00:27:36
roam free
00:27:38
Salas assured Maricela that action would
00:27:42
be taken
00:27:43
[Music]
00:27:45
Maricela then resumed her peaceful
00:27:47
protest in front of the Government
00:27:49
Palace as a constant reminder to Duarte
00:27:52
and Salas to make good on their promise
00:27:56
one week into her sit-in Maricela told
00:27:59
reporters that she had received many
00:28:01
threats from Sergio's Family and the
00:28:03
cartel including
00:28:06
that Los Zetas do not forgive nor forget
00:28:09
and failure to abide by their rules
00:28:12
would cost her her life
00:28:15
[Music]
00:28:17
Maricela refused to go into hiding
00:28:19
instead she continued to call out the
00:28:22
government's continued inaction
00:28:25
what are they waiting for she asked for
00:28:28
him to finish me
00:28:32
Maricela then threw down the only
00:28:34
Gauntlet she had left
00:28:37
she announced that if Sergio Barraza
00:28:40
wanted her dad then he would have to do
00:28:42
it right in front of the governor's
00:28:44
Palace to The Shame of the bureaucrats
00:28:46
that worked behind its doors
00:28:50
four days later on the evening of
00:28:53
Thursday December 16 2010 Maricela and
00:28:57
her brother Ricardo were quietly sitting
00:29:00
in protest at a table set up at the
00:29:02
front edge of the Plaza
00:29:05
just after 8 PM a white sedan pulled up
00:29:09
near where Maricela and Ricardo sat
00:29:13
a man dressed in light trousers and a
00:29:15
dark top slipped out of the passenger
00:29:17
side of the car
00:29:20
after taking a few steps he stood
00:29:23
directly behind Maricela
00:29:26
the man pulled out a nine millimeter
00:29:28
pistol pressed it against maricella's
00:29:31
head and fired
00:29:37
the gun jammed
00:29:40
Maricela leapt from her seat and took
00:29:42
off
00:29:43
Ricardo grabbed his own chair and threw
00:29:46
it at the gunman just as Maricela
00:29:49
sprinted across two lanes of moving
00:29:51
traffic towards the perceived safety of
00:29:54
the Government Palace
00:29:55
the gunman caught up to her just before
00:29:58
she reached the other side of the road
00:30:02
in mid-stride he raised his gun to the
00:30:05
back of maricela's head again and pulled
00:30:07
the trigger
00:30:09
there was no obstruction this time
00:30:13
Maricela collapsed to the ground
00:30:15
directly in front of the government
00:30:17
palace's entrance
00:30:19
the gunman scrambled back into the white
00:30:22
sedan and It sped off into the night
00:30:27
traffic slowed only for a moment before
00:30:30
moving on
00:30:31
a pedestrian within meters of maricela's
00:30:34
prone bleeding body turned briefly to
00:30:37
observe what had taken place then
00:30:40
continued onwards on their Journey
00:30:44
the only person who seemed to care about
00:30:46
what had happened was Ricardo who banged
00:30:49
it desperately on the locked doors of
00:30:51
the Government Palace screaming for help
00:30:58
in the wake of the public outcry and
00:31:01
condemnation that followed Maricela
00:31:03
escobedo's murder authorities were quick
00:31:06
to blame Sergio Barraza for
00:31:08
orchestrating the assassination
00:31:11
Chihuahua Governor sassad dawate told
00:31:14
reporters that he was filled with
00:31:16
frustration and indignation and called
00:31:19
for the judges who had initially
00:31:21
acquitted Sergio to be sacked
00:31:24
president Felipe Calderon likewise
00:31:27
tweeted
00:31:29
it is unfortunate that the Chihuahua
00:31:32
judges released the confessed murderer
00:31:34
of Ruby
00:31:36
that impunity led to the murder of
00:31:38
Maricela Escobedo
00:31:42
hours after maricela's funeral the
00:31:46
workshop that she ran with her partner
00:31:48
Jose monhei was destroyed by fire
00:31:52
Jose's brother Manuel who had been
00:31:55
looking after the shop was missing
00:31:59
Manuel was found to dead the following
00:32:02
day his hands and feet were bound with
00:32:05
duct tape and a plastic bag was pulled
00:32:07
tight over his head
00:32:10
the official response was that Manuel's
00:32:13
murder was not linked to maricella's
00:32:17
yet maricela's oldest son Juan knew what
00:32:21
was
00:32:23
in the Netflix documentary the three
00:32:25
deaths of Maricela Escobedo Juan
00:32:28
recalled how people had also come
00:32:30
looking for him that day
00:32:33
he realized then that as long as he and
00:32:36
his family remained in Mexico their
00:32:38
lives were in danger
00:32:41
leaving everything they'd worked for
00:32:43
behind three generations of escobedos
00:32:46
fled across the border into the United
00:32:48
States that very night
00:32:53
back in Juarez less than three months
00:32:56
after Maricela and Manuel's murders six
00:32:59
men burst into a home and shot dead at
00:33:02
the three adults inside
00:33:05
the offenders all barely out of their
00:33:07
teens fled immediately after the
00:33:10
shooting
00:33:12
their victims were the now 20 year old
00:33:15
angel of Villas his father and his aunt
00:33:22
a year and a half later in October 2012
00:33:26
Chihuahua authorities announced that
00:33:28
they had arrested Maricela escobedo's
00:33:31
killer
00:33:33
the man they named was 30 year old
00:33:35
lifelong gang member Jose Jimenez known
00:33:39
as l wickard
00:33:42
L Wicked was already in custody for the
00:33:45
massacre of 16 people in a bar in
00:33:47
Chihuahua six months earlier
00:33:50
a gun used in this crime was matched to
00:33:53
the one used to execute Maricela
00:33:58
according to the authorities Earl
00:34:00
wickard had confessed to carrying out
00:34:02
their head on Maricela under joint
00:34:05
instructions from the Juarez cartel and
00:34:07
a loss of Zetas
00:34:10
Maricella had become too much of a
00:34:13
nuisance for them
00:34:16
this Revelation was just another slap in
00:34:19
the face of maricella's loved ones
00:34:21
served by a government they regarded as
00:34:24
corrupt and apathetic
00:34:27
in an exclusive interview with Mexican
00:34:29
news magazine processor Juan expressed
00:34:33
his opinion that El Wicked was merely a
00:34:36
high-ranking cartel scapegoat whose
00:34:38
arrest enabled the government to close
00:34:41
his mother's case
00:34:43
Juan explained that his uncle Ricardo
00:34:46
remembered the man who murdered Maricela
00:34:48
and that man was not ill Wicked
00:34:53
when shown a photo lineup of known gang
00:34:56
members Ricardo recognized one man as
00:34:59
maricella's killer with 100 certainty
00:35:04
the photo was of Sergio barraza's
00:35:07
Brother Andy
00:35:10
he had previously been accused of
00:35:12
helping Sergio dispose of Ruby frere's
00:35:15
body
00:35:17
Ricardo had never seen Andy Barraza
00:35:20
prior to the night of maricela's murder
00:35:22
but he never forgot his face
00:35:27
Juan and Ricardo had passed this
00:35:29
information to the authorities but were
00:35:31
ignored
00:35:33
after naming Andy Barraza as maricela's
00:35:36
killer Juan then went one step further
00:35:39
and openly accused the Chihuahua
00:35:42
government of complicity in his mother's
00:35:44
death
00:35:46
hey explained that Maricela effectively
00:35:49
signed her own death warrant when she
00:35:51
revealed all of her information to the
00:35:53
attorney general Carlos Salas
00:35:56
it was also discovered that in addition
00:35:59
to the usual 24-hour security Personnel
00:36:02
that routinely patrolled the Government
00:36:03
Palace a personal security detail had
00:36:07
been promised to Maricela
00:36:09
however when the doors of the Government
00:36:12
Palace closed at 8 pm on December 16
00:36:16
2010. Maricela was shot minutes later
00:36:19
with no security staff inside
00:36:23
according to Juan the area had been
00:36:26
intentionally cleared and Andy Barraza
00:36:29
knew he would not be interrupted
00:36:37
on Friday November 16 2012 four members
00:36:41
of Los zatas were killed in an armed
00:36:44
clash with the Mexican Army
00:36:47
among those killed was Sergio Barraza
00:36:52
eight days later Governor sassadawate
00:36:55
announced that with Sergio dad and Del
00:36:58
Wicked in custody the cases of Ruby
00:37:01
fryra and Maricela Escobedo were
00:37:04
officially closed
00:37:06
however as his trial approached a wicked
00:37:10
retracted his confession to maricela's
00:37:13
murder
00:37:14
he said it had been made under torture
00:37:17
and threats against his wife and
00:37:19
children
00:37:21
these claims along with Ricardo's
00:37:23
identification that Andy Barraza carried
00:37:26
out the slaying meant that the
00:37:28
prosecution could have a difficult time
00:37:30
convicting ill Wicked for maricela's
00:37:32
murder
00:37:34
on Wednesday December 31 2014 before his
00:37:39
trial commenced El Wicked was found dead
00:37:42
in prison
00:37:45
the authorities initially said he had
00:37:48
died from a heart attack but were later
00:37:50
forced to admit that Earl wickard had
00:37:52
been strangled to death by another
00:37:54
inmate who had somehow gained access to
00:37:58
his cell
00:38:02
by January 2015 all the members of the
00:38:05
escobed or family who had escaped into
00:38:08
America had been granted permanent
00:38:10
political Asylum
00:38:12
the immigration judge who ruled in favor
00:38:15
of Juan's application specifically
00:38:17
stated that the Mexican Government is
00:38:20
unable or unwilling to control actors
00:38:23
who persecute human rights Defenders
00:38:27
in October 2020 the inter-american
00:38:30
commission on human rights announced
00:38:32
that it would give Mexico three months
00:38:35
to provide its response to the
00:38:37
escobedo's complaints of human rights
00:38:39
violations in relation to the murders of
00:38:42
Ruby and Maricela before the commission
00:38:45
considered the case
00:38:47
the escobedos hoped that one day soon
00:38:50
Mexico would be held publicly and
00:38:53
internationally responsible for these
00:38:55
human rights violations
00:38:59
by December 2020 shortly after the
00:39:02
commission's announcement and the
00:39:04
release of the Netflix documentary the
00:39:06
three deaths of Maricela Escobedo both
00:39:09
the governor of Chihuahua and to the
00:39:12
Mexican president announced the
00:39:14
reopening of Maricela escobedo's murder
00:39:16
investigation
00:39:19
that same year Andy Barraza in prison in
00:39:23
Texas for unrelated crimes gave an
00:39:26
exclusive interview to the makers of the
00:39:28
Netflix documentary
00:39:31
Andy openly admitted that Sergio who had
00:39:35
gained senior ranking within losses at
00:39:37
us had organized the head on Marisela
00:39:40
and the arson attack on her Workshop
00:39:44
Andy denied killing Maricela
00:39:50
as of 2022 the investigation into
00:39:54
maricela's murder is still ongoing
00:39:57
it has been more than a decade and each
00:40:00
year since all across Mexico citizens
00:40:04
continued to March against what they
00:40:06
perceive as government-sanctioned
00:40:08
impunity granted to perpetrators of
00:40:11
violence against women
00:40:13
Maricela is one of their symbols
00:40:18
when speaking at his mother's funeral
00:40:21
Juan Escobedo said
00:40:25
she fought to her last breath and died
00:40:28
on the front lines
00:40:30
my mum was a hero because she did things
00:40:33
that no one in the city had ever done
00:40:36
she fought on her own against rain and
00:40:39
thunder
00:40:41
even when she seemed like she would
00:40:43
break down she got up again and taught
00:40:46
us a lesson in fortitude
00:40:49
I ask all of you to give my mum a big
00:40:53
round of applause
00:41:07
[Music]
00:41:18
[Music]
00:41:25
case File presents a new Spotify
00:41:28
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00:41:32
prepared for a loved one to suddenly
00:41:34
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00:41:36
missingness when someone you love
00:41:39
vanishes into thin air every family that
00:41:42
experiences it has to figure it out for
00:41:44
themselves we started running around
00:41:46
match friends what the hell is not doing
00:41:48
at work and why hasn't even called them
00:41:50
I just sat there again oh my God oh my
00:41:53
God something wasn't right the leversons
00:41:55
grew more worried by the minute he's
00:41:57
walking up and down like a cage line and
00:42:00
he's sweating and he's clammy the man
00:42:01
has no emotions at all towards the end
00:42:04
he wouldn't let Matt out of his sight
00:42:05
narrated by Lauren O'Keefe the founder
00:42:08
of the missing persons advocacy Network
00:42:10
and host of case File presents podcast
00:42:12
what's missing the police informed Mark
00:42:15
and Faye levison that they're no longer
00:42:18
considered Matt a missing person I told
00:42:20
they know that the case had been
00:42:22
transferred to homicide and he said I've
00:42:25
called the police I've found a grave
00:42:27
there's a medic in the bush the receipt
00:42:29
showed that two items had been purchased
00:42:31
duct tape and a garden Master brand
00:42:33
Matic I think we were in shock for ages
00:42:36
after that the world just seemed to
00:42:37
stand still hear how a family took on
00:42:40
the system to try and find Justice for
00:42:42
their son for the very first time made
00:42:45
us feel like the police and us were no
00:42:48
longer on the same side and then he sat
00:42:50
there and said to me it was Matt's
00:42:52
lifestyle that had him murdered no I
00:42:54
just said the stops now that's
00:42:56
that's ridiculous some people in this
00:42:57
world never take no for an answer
00:42:59
especially when they're fighting for
00:43:01
someone they love nothing is perfect and
00:43:03
we thought you know with a chance of
00:43:04
finding math if they won in a million
00:43:05
one in team million but it wasn't zero
00:43:08
so we've got to give it a go he was
00:43:10
never going to win against us not for
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finding Maddie Maddie the latest podcast
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