Ponciano H. died this Friday in the Tanivet prison, in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca
It has been 18 months since the Oaxacan saxophonist María Elena Ríos suffered an attack with sulfuric acid. This Friday it was reported that Ponciano H., one of the two perpetrators, died in the Tanivet prison, in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca.
Ponciano H. and her son were accused of having been hired by the former deputy of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Juan Antonio Vera Carrizal, to spray the young musician with sulfuric acid.
María Elena Ríos told El Universal that she has not been informed by the authorities of Ponciano’s death, but mentioned that the man did have severe health problems, as she attended the last hearing in a wheelchair.
It was on December 23, 2019, when Ponciano was arrested on the highway that leads to Huayapan, in the Central Valley of Oaxaca.
María Elena Ríos studied Social Communication in Puebla and Saxophone at the Conservatory of Music of the same entity. In 2017, a vacancy was opened for a position in the press office of the then deputy Juan Vera Carrizal, of the PRI, in her town of Oaxaca. And, although her dream was to make a living from music, she needed to pay for her courses and eat. Shortly after going to work with the former PRI deputy, she and Vera Carrizal began a relationship, according to the testimony of her sister Silvia.
María Elena has had to undergo multiple treatments and surgical interventions to mitigate the scars that the acid left on her body, but in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, she has not been able to receive the hospital care she needs.
” I was not born burned and I would like to return to being approximately what I was of my face, of my skin, ” she comments about it in an interview for the morning show Así Las Cosas.
The case received great media attention due to the particular harshness of the attack. María Elena thanked the media coverage that was given to her case and that also promoted the legal process of justice during the first months.
“The media and civil society gave great support in terms of media pressure, because unfortunately in Mexico for you to access justice there must be media pressure, there is no other way, ” she commented.
Juan Antonio Vera Carrizal, a former local MP in Oaxaca, has been singled out as the alleged mastermind behind this ruthless acid attack. On March 6, 2020, he surrendered to the authorities in response to media pressure and faces the Oaxaca justice system for accusations of attempted aggravated femicide.
The former deputy was linked to the process on April 10, 2020, and since then he has been detained in the Tanivet prison, in Tlacolula de Matamoros, Oaxaca. In July of that year, he was denied bail for being accused of a serious crime.
In addition to Vera Carrizal, three other men have also been arrested, including the deceased today, investigated for their probable collaboration in the crime of attempted murder, some of them even pointed out to the former deputy of having hired them to carry out the attack.
María Elena Ríos has revealed on numerous occasions that she had a sentimental relationship with the former aggressor deputy for some time, but due to the violent, macho and aggressive behaviors of Juan Antonio Vera, she decided to separate from him.
As soon as she wanted to end the relationship, things began to take a threatening course, and the former deputy psychologically assaulted her on multiple occasions, insulting her and ignoring her, until finally the brutal physical aggression with acid occurred.
Amelia Warner
Amelia Warner writes all the Latest Articles. She mostly covers Entertainment topics, but at times loves to write about movie reviews as well.
