Man and woman arrested for ‘vicious’ murders of young lesbian couple that left Mexico shaken
Nohemi Medina Martinez and Yulizsa Ramirez were visiting family in Mexico when they were murdered. (Facebook/ Nohemi Medina Martinez)
Mexican police have arrested a man and a woman on suspicion of murdering lesbian couple Nohemi Medina Martinez and Yulizsa Ramirez.
Jaqueline Isela C.R, 25 and David R, 25, were arrested on charges of aggravated femicide, the Chihuahua attorney’s office said Monday (24 January).
Authorities have accused the pair of killing Nohemi Medina Martinez and Yulizsa Ramirez, both 28.
The married couple’s dismembered bodies were found dumped in rubbish bags miles apart from one another along a highway near the US-Mexico border.
Authorities believe Martinez and Ramirez, who lived in El Paso, Texas, but were visiting family in Ciudad Juárez, were tortured before being murdered. They are survived by their three children.
The Criminal Investigation Agency allege that Isela and R both contacted the women on 15 January, the day before their bodies were discovered.
Investigators believe the couple were taken to a home on Calle Del Ejido in the rural village of San Isidro, on the border of San Elizario, where they were “viciously murdered”.
Detectives say they found evidence at the home during a court-approved search.
A motive has not been disclosed, El Plaso Times reported. The accused will appear in court later this month.
The killings have sparked protests in Ciudad Juárez, demanding an end to a rising tide of violence against women and calling for a robust investigation into the murders.
The couple’s deaths marked the 11th and 12th murders of women in the region this month alone.
Feminists and members of the LGBT+ community take part in a protest against the murder of two lesbian women who were found dismembered and inside plastic bags in Ciudad Juarez, state of Chihuahua, Mexico. (AFP via Getty/ HERIKA MARTINEZ)
In 2020, the killings of 3,723 women were registered across all of Mexico’s 32 states – more than double the number recorded a decade ago. Police investigated 640 as femicides, according to Amnesty International.
The year before, Mexico saw the deadliest year yet for LGBT+ people in five years with 117 LGBT+ people killed, said LGBT+ advocacy group Letra S, which monitors hate crimes.
