Mexico issues arrest warrant for Francisco Javier ‘N’, the alleged killer of Spanish student Claudia Tacoronte

The Morelos Attorney General’s Office said Wednesday that a judge has issued an arrest warrant for Francisco Javier N, aka El Trompas, in connection with the killing of Claudia Tacoronte, an exchange student from Spain.

State prosecutor Fernando Blumenkron Escobar said the suspect is already being sought by authorities for fatally wounding the 21-year-old university student, who had only been in Mexico for a month and was living in Cuernavaca to follow Early Childhood Education classes at UAEM university.

“Investigative work and the videos provided by citizens, among other evidence, allowed the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Investigation and Prosecution of the Crime of Femicide to request an arrest warrant from the judicial authority, which was granted, and agents are being deployed to carry it out and bring Francisco Javier N”, before a court,” the office said in a statement.

The Spanish student had traveled to the city to attend a popular medicinal plants fair. Ximena Becerril, a friend of Claudia, told this newspaper that she was very excited because the organizers of the Cuautla fair had offered her lodging at the Casa de la Cultura.

On Saturday night, Claudia was assaulted on a street leading to her lodging. A man stabbed her and she died from her wounds. She had time to run, call for help and seek shelter. A handful of neighbors came to her aid when they heard her screams; some even tried to chase the attacker. Several identified his clothing: a white top and a black backpack.

Local media outlets have reported that the ambulance showed up half an hour after the attack, and that it was too late to save her.

The student’s killing has once again put Mexico face to face with one of its major burdens: violence against women. An average of 11 women die in Mexico every day, and so far this year, three other students from Claudia’s university have been murdered. Impunity for these crimes reaches 95%.

The University of Granada, the victim’s home university, said it was unaware of the crimes involving other students at UAEM, and canceled its partnership with it. The Spanish government, through its foreign minister and the consulate, has said it will pursue the case until the murder is resolved.

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