Cancún, Quintana Roo — A court in Cancún has upheld a 50-year prison sentence for Rogelio Vázquez Guzmán, convicted of murdering Isla Mujeres police commander Sergio Leyva Córdova in 2019.
The Ninth Oral Criminal Court in Cancún confirmed the sentence on March 25, rejecting Vázquez Guzmán’s appeal. The court found no grounds to absolve him of criminal responsibility, according to the ruling in case 204/2025.
The murder occurred on April 9, 2019, at the Puerto Juárez maritime terminal. Leyva Córdova was shot and killed while having breakfast, reportedly taken by surprise by his attackers.
Vázquez Guzmán and two other individuals were originally sentenced to 50 years in prison in 2023. Vázquez Guzmán appealed that decision, leading to the recent confirmation by Magistrate Teresa de Jesús Villa Velasco.
The court determined that the attackers acted with intent and had an advantage over the police commander, elements that were proven by the Quintana Roo State Prosecutor’s Office during the original trial.
According to the sentence, the crime happened when the assailants, traveling in a vehicle, intercepted the victim as he waited for transportation on José López Portillo Avenue in the Puerto Juárez neighborhood.
After the attack, the suspects fled but were arrested hours later in the Villas del Mar subdivision.
Despite the upheld sentence, Vázquez Guzmán can still file a direct appeal for federal protection through a federal court.
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