Five Men Sentenced to Over 37 Years for Murder in Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — A court has sentenced five men to 37 years and six months in prison for the aggravated murder of a Guatemalan man in November 2022, the state prosecutor’s office announced.

The Quintana Roo State Prosecutor’s Office (FGE) secured the conviction after presenting evidence during trial. The verdict was announced by Attorney General Raciel López Salazar at a security cabinet meeting.

The convicted individuals are Ramón Hernández Hernández, Cristóbal Montejo Cruz, Óscar Hernández Guillén, Melitón Cruz Álvarez, and Fidencio Cruz Álvarez.

According to the investigation, on the night of November 10, 2022, the five men were with the victim in a basement on Fifth Avenue between 36th and 38th streets in the downtown area. They immobilized him by placing tape over his mouth, then two held his arms while the other three beat him with their hands and wooden boards, causing death by asphyxiation.

The following day, three of the men wrapped the body in black plastic bags and abandoned it in a vehicle parked in the Gonzalo Guerrero neighborhood, where authorities later found it.

In addition to the prison term, each defendant must pay a fine of 216,495 pesos (about $11,500) and 874,722.20 pesos (about $46,500) in material damages.