El Chapo Trial: Damaso, "My compadre's children are in collusion with the government, they blamed Valdez' murder on my son"

Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat

Damaso's questioning by defense below, regarding Valdez' murder

Damaso says he had a private army of 100 to defend against Chapo's sons 

In the trial of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, Dámaso López Núnez, alias " El Licenciado ", stated thatit was Chapos sons that killed journalist Javier Valdez.  That the sons were angered by the Damaso article which was ready to be published.

The questioning on this subject was posted in RioDoce:

"He (Javier Valdez), complying with his journalistic ethics, disobeyed and that's why they killed him," Damaso said.

Defense lawyer, Eduardo Balarezo, asked him if he had ordered the journalist's murder because of an article that Ríodoce published about his son, Dámaso López, alias "El Mini Lic", which Damaso  rejected.

According to his testimony, López Núñez gave Valdez a telephone interview whose publication Chapo sons tried to stop, the children of Guzmán threatened the journalists in their editorial house attempting to force them to squash the article.

Javier Valdez Cárdenas was murdered on May 15, 2017, when he left the offices of Ríodoce in Culiacán.

Ríodoce reproduced the line of questioning defense attorney Eduardo Balarezo, submitted to Damaso López:

López Núñez: “Yes, he was a prestigious and well-known Sinaloan journalist”

Balarezo: And he was the founder of a newspaper called Ríodoce, right?

López Núñez: I do not know if he was a founder, but he wrote for that newspaper.

(Balarezo shows him the cover of Ríodoce with Javier's photo and asks him what it is.)

López Núñez: A magazine with the cover of a journalist's photo [top right foto]

Balarezo: Do ​​not you recognize the cover of Ríodoce?

López Núñez: Yes, sir

Balarezo: And not recognize Mr. Valdez?

López Núñez: Maybe, I never met him in person.

Balarezo: And it had nothing to do with the murder?

López Núñez: Yes, he is correct.

Balarezo: Is not it true that this newspaper published a great critique of your son?

López Núñez: On orders from the children of my compadre, Iván, and Alfredo.

Balarezo: The newspaper published a critical article about your son on the orders of the children of 'Chapo'?

López Núñez: You're absolutely right.

Balarezo: And one of the things that the newspaper published about your son is that he was a good for nothing and a pathetic drug trafficker?

López Núñez: I was in prison, sir. I did not see the newspaper.

Balarezo: And I assume that your son had nothing to do with the murder either?

López Núñez: You assume well.

López Núñez: It turns out that my compadre's children found out that I gave a telephone interview explaining the reasons why Ciro Gómez Leyva-a well-known journalist in Mexico-pointed out to me, in a newscast of that journalist, that I had I ambushed the children of my compadre. [the kidnapping]

As it was false [he did not kidnap chapo's sons, he claims] , when the journalist [Javier] approached me, I saw it as a good opportunity [the interview], but my compadre's children did not like what I did. Ask anyone in Culiacán.

They threatened everyone in the editorial house to get a note in a way and forced to not take the interview. But as the article was complete, he published it, disobeying the orders of my compadre's children. And since my compadre's children are in collusion with the government, they did not find a culprit and blamed my son.

Balarezo: Did you see Chapo's children kill him, yes or no?

López Núñez: I did not see that.

Balarezo: Did you hear them give the order to kill him?

López Núñez: No

Balarezo: Was he present?

López Núñez: I was a prisoner.

Balarezo: And you have not talked to your son?

López Núñez: No, sir. The truth is the truth. Maybe my compadre did not know it, but now he knows it.

This cross examination  happened after López Núñez admitted to having a private army of approximately 100 men in 2016, which were necessary to defend himself against the gunmen sent by the sons of Chapo, trying to kill him and his family.

El Quillo

Court denies amparos to presumed murderers of Javier Valdez

In January of this year, a District Judge denied protecting the alleged perpetrators of murdering journalist Javier Valdez.

Juan Francisco N el Quillo and Heriberto N el Koala , filed amparos against the indictment for the crime of homicide, in the Fourth District Court based in Culiacán.

In both cases, the judge denied the protection of federal justice, since the bonding order does comply with the legal guidelines.

In both cases, the lawyers tried to dismiss the statements of two witnesses used by the prosecution as evidence to link the accused to the murder.

One of the witnesses, a cousin of the accused, stated that El Quillo told him that they had committed the murder and that they had paid him with a gun with the image Damaso.

Another witness stated that Luis N el Diablo - also implicated in the murder, told him that together with Quillo and Koala he had murdered Javier and that they were members of a cell of Dámaso López Núñez, El Licenciado .

They are asking for 50 year sentence