INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Mayor Gisela Mota: Three Suspects Arrested And Held In Brutal Assassination

By Jennifer Deutschmann
Published on: 03:22 PST, Jan 4, 2016

Mexico Mayor Gisela Mota was shot and killed in her Pueblo Viejo home on Saturday morning — fewer than 24 hours after she was officially sworn in. Authorities confirmed five suspects broken into the 33-year-old woman’s home and opened fire. Although two suspects were killed at the scene, three others were arrested and are currently being detained.

The CBC reports little information is being released about the suspects. However, Morelos Attorney General Javier Perez Duron confirmed those arrested include a 32-year-old female, an 18-year-old male, and a minor. Duron further confirmed all three suspects have criminal histories.

A native of Temixco, Mexico, Mayor Gisela Mota earned a bachelor’s degree in law in 2006. Prior to her political career, she interned with Mastache and Associates, and worked for the city department of villages and tourism and the comptroller’s office.

As reported by SIL, Gisela’s political career began in 2005, when she was appointed the city’s Secretary for Youth Affairs. Between 2008 and 2012, she also served as state counselor, Secretary of Democratic Political Education and Training, Secretary for Youth Affairs, and National Advisor for Mexico’s Democratic Revolution Party.

Between October, 2012, and June, 2015, she served as president of the Agrarian Reform Commission and also served as a member of the city’s Cooperative Development and Social Economy, Urban Development and Land Management, and Youth Commissions.

Elected as mayor of Temixco in June, 2015, Mayor Gisela Mota was sworn into office on January 1 — without incident. However, the following morning, five suspects broke into the newly appointed mayor’s home and opened fire. Amid the chaos, Mota and four others were killed — including two of the suspects.

A spokesperson with the Democratic Revolution Party described Gisela as “a strong and brave woman who on taking office as mayor, declared that her fight against crime would be frontal and direct.”

Dubbed “the city of eternal spring,” Temixco was once a popular tourist destination. Unfortunately, as the region became plagued with drug-related crime and gang violence, tourists have been deterred from visiting and residents have fled their homes.

Several drug cartels, including Beltran Leyva, Guerreros Unidos, Pacifico Sur, and Los Rojos have been prominent throughout the region in recent years. In addition to trafficking drugs, the cartels are notorious for extorting, kidnapping, and killing those who threaten their business or way of life.

The cartels are an ongoing source of unrest, as they are constantly battling over territory. Daily Mail reports Temixo is a specific point of interest for cartels, as the expressway between Acapulco and Mexico City passes through the town. Authorities said the expressway is commonly used to transport drugs and other contraband throughout the state.

Although the rumors were not confirmed, the Association of Local Authorities of Mexico suggested Mayor Gisela Mota’s assassination was directly tied to organized crime. A representative said Gisela was one of “nearly 100” Mexican mayors assassinated in the last 10 years. A majority of those deaths were linked to drug cartels and other criminal organizations.

In the hours following Mayor Gisela Mota’s assassination, Morelos Governor Graco Ramirez ordered heightened security for all mayors throughout the state of Morales. The governor also ordered all state building flags to be flown half-staff for the next three days.

Roman Catholic bishop of Cuernavaca, Ramon Castro, conducted mass at the slain mayor’s Pueblo Viejo home. In his opinion, Gisela’s death could have been “a warning to other mayors” to avoid conflict with drug cartels and criminal organizations.

“If you don’t cooperate with organized crime, look at what will happen to you. It’s to scare them.”

As authorities continue to investigate the assassination of Mayor Gisela Mota, and the suspects’ possible ties to organized crime, her family, friends, and the nation are mourning a tremendous loss of a woman who vowed to make a difference.

[Photo by AP Photo/Tony Rivera]

Share this article: Mayor Gisela Mota: Three Suspects Arrested And Held In Brutal Assassination
More from Inquisitr