Over the weekend, it was reported that Gisela Raquel Mota Ocampo, the first female mayor of Temixco, Morelos, was murdered less than 24 hours after assuming office on January 1. A few armed individuals entered her home and shot her in the head, and after a stand off with police, three people were arrested.
Since then, a video of a young man confessing to the crime has circulated online. According to El País, local authorities have confirmed that the video is authentic. In the 35-second clip, the man, whose face is censored, alleges that criminal group Los Rojos was behind the attack. The Intercept adds that the suspects were paid ~$29,000 to murder Mota.
It’s been speculated that Mota was targeted because she vowed to take on organized crime. Mota’s mother, Juanita Ocampo, said that Gisela courageously protected her family. “I told them that if they wanted to kill me, they could kill me first, but she said, ‘I am Gisela,’ so they took her because she was important,” Juanita said, according to El Siglo.