The 31-year-old political aide is beaten and burned alive by 200 villagers in Mexico after being falsely accused of child trafficking
- Daniel Picazo was killed last Friday by an angry mob who accused him of child trafficking in Puebla, Mexico
- The 31-year-old was visiting his grandfather’s home in the Puebla town of Huauchinango when about 30 attackers ambushed his pickup truck
- While his friend managed to escape, Picazo was beaten and police tried to rescue him but were overpowered by the attackers
- Picazo was dragged to a park where he was attacked and doused with gasoline before being set alight while he was alive
- Authorities had made no arrests as of Monday evening
- Picazo had previously worked as a political adviser to National Action Party Congresswoman Johana Felipe
A former political adviser was beaten and set on fire by a mob of more than 200 villagers in a mistaken identity case in which they falsely accused him of child trafficking in central Mexico.
Daniel Picazo, 31, was visiting his grandfather’s home in the Puebla town of Huauchinango when he was ambushed by about 30 people near the residence on Friday.
Picazo, a lawyer, and a male he was dating have been accused by some villagers of kidnapping a child after false rumors spread in chat rooms on WhatsApp, according to Mexican broadcaster TV Azteca.
The angry mob set forced them out of Picazo’s pickup truck and attacked both men before his friend managed to escape and hide in a nearby building.
Daniel Picazo, a former National Action Party adviser, was killed last Friday by a mob accusing him of child trafficking in Puebla, Mexico. Authorities said he was confused by a man mentioned in WhatsApp chat rooms. The 31-year-old was mugged and forced out of his pickup truck before being beaten and set on fire. No arrests were made
The mob involved in the lynching of Daniel Picazo stand near a field where the 31-year-old former political adviser was set alight after he was wrongly accused of trying to kidnap children
The group then dragged Picazo to a local park, where police attempted to rescue him and put him in a squad car, but they were outmatched by the villagers.
Picazo was again attacked in the field and then doused in gasoline while he was alive.
His parents told Radio Formula that he walked down the street with his hands tied behind his back and burns on his body before getting on his knees in front of strangers and begging for help.
“The Huauchinango City Council strongly disapproves of this act and reiterates that criminal behavior must be judged under the procedures of our rule of law,” the Huauchinango City Council said in a statement.
‘We will always act in accordance with the law, for justice by one’s own hands is not justice but barbarism.’
Picazo resided in Mexico City, where his parents reside, and announced in July 2021 that he had been accepted into a graduate school program in Madrid.
Daniel Picazo announced on his social networks in July 2021 that he had been accepted for a master’s degree at a university in Madrid
Picazo had worked for the Judiciary Commission of the Chamber of Deputies from 2018 to 2021. In late 2021, he was hired as an adviser to National Action Party Congresswoman Johana Felipe, leaving her post in March
He worked for the Judiciary Commission of the Chamber of Deputies from 2018 to 2021. Towards the end of 2021, Picazo was hired as an adviser to National Action Party Congresswoman Johana Felipe, leaving her post in March.
“It is with deep sadness and dismay that I join in the grief that is sweeping the family of our colleague and friend Daniel Picazo, a talented, dedicated young man who is passionate about his country and dreams big in life,” Felipe tweeted.
As of Monday evening, Puebla authorities had made no arrests.
Picazo is the second person to be lynched in the state of Puebla this year.
A man was beaten and killed by a mob in the municipality of Izúcar de Matamoros on May 15 after he was accused of trying to steal a motorcycle.
In March, authorities prevented three lynchings in which five people were rescued from their attackers.