Popular Mexican Singer Tortured, Killed

13 unexplained killings in 18 months plague grupero scene

(NEWSER) - Some of Mexico’s biggest music stars are being murdered, often in gruesome fashion, and no one’s sure why, the New York Times reports. The past year and a half has seen the killings of 13 Mexican musicians, all purveyors of grupero, a country-esque style often dealing with drugs and crime. Police suspect gang involvement, but they have no evidence and usually no motives. More»

Agents tortured, killed in revenge for drug trafficker's arrest

(NEWSER) - Twelve people tortured, murdered, and dumped along a highway in the Mexican state of Michoacan Monday were Mexican federal agents, the AP reports. The off-duty agents—11 men and one woman—were caught in an ambush by members of a drug cartel, officials said. The murders are believed to be revenge for the recent capture of a La Familia kingpin in MIchoacan, the home state of Mexican President Felipe Calderon and a center of his crackdown on drug traffickers. More»

(NEWSER) - The bodies of 11 men and a woman were found by the side of a remote highway in Mexico's Michoacan state yesterday, Reuters reports. The victims had been tortured before being executed, police said. Officials believe the killings are linked to an ongoing feud for control of the state between the Gulf drug cartel and a group of smugglers known as "the Family." Four bodies were found in the same place last week. More»

Cartels at war again in Michoacan

(NEWSER) - The drug war appears to be heating up again in Mexican President Felipe Calderon's home state. Some 15 semi-naked bodies were found in a pile outside a gas station in Zitacuaro, Michoacan state, the BBC reports. All of the victims were male and three were minors. Police say threatening messages were left next to the bodies, which showed signs of torture. More»

Police inaction blamed for sky-high murder rate in Mexican city

(NEWSER) - Last weekend was bloody even by Ciudad Juarez standards. Gunmen killed 41 people in the Mexican city in the 4-day period beginning last Thursday, including 15 people killed in two attacks on bars, and a 10-year-old boy killed during an attack aimed at his father, CNN reports. By comparison, New Orleans—which has a population roughly the same size and the highest murder rate in the US—had 175 murders the whole of last year. More»