Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Contract Killing of Security Guard in Cancun

Cancun, Quintana Roo — A man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the contract killing of a security guard in Cancun, a murder authorities say was ordered by a criminal group to intimidate a local business.

The Quintana Roo State Prosecutor’s Office secured the conviction against Roberto Carlos Rodríguez Hernández, known as “El Chino,” for aggravated homicide in Benito Juárez municipality. A judge handed down the sentence during an oral trial after prosecutors proved his involvement in the May 15, 2022, killing of a male victim whose identity remains protected.

Investigators determined that on the day of the crime, Rodríguez Hernández arrived at a commercial establishment on Nichupté Avenue where the victim worked as a security guard. He arrived in a black vehicle with an accomplice, located the victim, and fired a weapon at him, causing fatal wounds to the head, chest, and arm.

The accomplice then took the guard’s service weapon, while Rodríguez Hernández and other co-conspirators placed a cardboard sign with an intimidating message next to the body before fleeing. Authorities said the homicide followed an order from a criminal group aimed at killing the worker to send a warning message to the establishment.

Police investigators arrested Rodríguez Hernández on May 16, 2022, in the same municipality under an arrest warrant. In addition to the prison term, the court ordered him to pay a fine of 144,330 pesos and 864,350 pesos in material damages to the victim.