Law Enforcement
Mexico gives life sentence to man who confessed to killing more than 30 women
The accused killer has reportedly confessed to 30 other crimes against women over the past 20 years
March 21, 2022 4:04pm
Updated: March 23, 2022 9:19am
Confessed murderer Andrés 'N' was sentenced to life imprisonment on Friday for the murder of a woman in the municipality of Atizapán, State of Mexico.
"This individual was found guilty for the crime committed on May 14, 2021, to the detriment of a 34-year-old woman, who was murdered and dismembered inside a property on Margaritas Street, in the Lomas de San Miguel neighborhood, in Atizapán, which was inhabited by the now sentenced man," the Attorney General's Office of the State of Mexico (FGJEM) said in a statement.
La @FiscaliaEdomex obtuvo sentencia condenatoria de prisión vitalicia para Andrés Filomeno Mendoza Celis, por un feminicidio ocurrido en #Atizapán, en mayo de 2021, también le fueron impuestas multas de 5 mil días de salario mínimo. pic.twitter.com/r2L7ogzOHE
— Fiscalía Edoméx (@FiscaliaEdomex) March 18, 2022
The man, known as the “Woman killer of Atizapán,” must also pay damages to the victim's relatives in the amount of 1,344,300 Mexican pesos ($66,000), and pay a fine equivalent to $22,000.
Reyna was reported missing on May 14, 2021. She worked in a store where she sold cell phones. On the day of the murder she went to the home of Andres, whom she saw as "a good friend of the elderly," and who had gained her trust by bringing her cell phones for repair, reported El Universal.
The killer has reportedly confessed to 30 other crimes against women over the past 20 years. Investigations into Reyna's case led to the discovery of more than 4,300 skeletal remains corresponding to 19 different bodies. Six victims have since been identified. Similarly, notebooks with victims’ names, descriptions, photographs, jewelry, women’s handbags, shoes and various videos in VHS and 9 mm formats were found on the scene.
In August, Mexico's attorney general, Alejandro Gómez Sánchez, indicated that the serial-murderer had possibly been operating since the 1990s, as his records of murdered women date back to that period. The official acknowledged that 'N' is the killer with the highest number of victims reported in recent years.
"What happened, just happened. I know that one regrets it, but it is too late. Things already happened," Andres said in November during an interview from prison with reporter Carlos Jimenez.
The Mexican government registered 1,004 female victims of murder during 2021, 2.66% more than in 2020.
