HomeNewsBrief'Knights Templar Crucify Alleged Rapist'
BRIEF

'Knights Templar Crucify Alleged Rapist'

KNIGHTS TEMPLAR / 11 SEP 2012 BY ELYSSA PACHICO EN

Reports that an alleged rapist was crucified in rural Michoacan, west Mexico, raise the question of whether the Knights Templar gang were responsible, as the killing bears several trademarks associated with the criminal group. 

According to Notimex, the 24-year-old victim was discovered crucified in the municipality of Contepec on September 7, four days after a woman filed a police report stating that he sexually assaulted her. The victim's body bore signs of torture and was hung from a traffic sign. A message was attached to his chest with two ice picks, and read: "This happened to me for being a rapist and it will happen to all the gossips, tattlers, traitors, know this is not a game."

Drug trafficking blog Mundo Narco attributes the crucifixion to the Knights Templar (Caballeros Templarios) but security and government officials in Michoacan have not confirmed this, nor has the gang claimed responsibility. 

InSight Crime Analysis

While the message on the victim's body was not signed by the Knights Templar, the threats against "tattlers" and "traitors" echoed the rhetoric found in the narco-banners that Mexico's criminal gangs use to make public announcements. And given the Knights Templar's use of ritual and religious symbolism -- from their name to the costume helmets found in a safehouse earlier this year -- it would not be surprising if they chose to give their victim a symbolic punishment. The victim's genitals had reportedly been cut off and stuffed into his mouth.

It is also possible that the killing was carried out by local people seeking revenge. But no matter who is responsible, the death highlights the lack of faith in official authority in Michoacan, illustrating a belief that the alleged rapist would not be brought to justice by the formal legal system. This lack of state authority in Michoacan has helped the rise of the Knights Templar and their predecessors, the Familia Michoacana, both of which have presented themselves as acting as law enforcers in the region.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME / 8 SEP 2021

Mexico remains the main international provider of marijuana for the United States, but this has greatly diminished since 2013, forcing…

ELITES AND CRIME / 10 OCT 2022

Presidential assassination plots and the Jalisco Cartel's influence on government -- the juicy details of Mexico's SEDENA leaks.

CRIMINAL MIGRATION / 23 MAR 2023

Nelson Alexander Flores Pacheco, alias "Mula", was the liaison between the Mexican Mafia and the MS13 in Tijuana, Mexico.

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

All Eyes on Ecuador

2 JUN 2023

Our coverage of organized crime in Ecuador continues to be a valuable resource for international and local news outlets. Internationally, Reuters cited our 2022 Homicide Round-Up,…

WORK WITH US

Open Position: Social Media and Engagement Strategist

27 MAY 2023

InSight Crime is looking for a Social Media and Engagement Strategist who will be focused on maintaining and improving InSight Crime’s reputation and interaction with its audiences through publishing activities…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.