Free Republic

MEXICO CITY -- Only days after U.S. Marine veteran Jon Hammar was thrown into a Mexican prison for carrying an antique shotgun into the country, gangsters in the jail warned him of his likely fate – beheading.

MORELIA, Mexico — A public defender died of his injuries today after being shot by inmates who took a group of lawyers hostage near the central Mexican city of Morelia, bringing the death toll in the incident to five, authorities said. Ulises Montanez, 28, was shot in Saturday's standoff. Three other lawyers and an inmate also died in the hostage-taking and subsequent police raid. Prison Director Rogelio Garcia said officials were investigating Sunday how the inmates obtained .357-caliber Magnum handguns at the Mil Cumbres prison, which holds 2,000 prisoners. On Friday, four inmates took a total of 14 public defenders...

Estes say there could be cost savings if some of the 7,700 Mexican prisoners were re-housed A state senator has introduced a bill that would allow the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to look at building prisons in Mexico for Mexican nationals currently imprisoned in Texas. Sen. Craig Estes (R-Wichita Falls) said he filed Senate Bill 1119 because state prisons are at or near capacity. He cited TDCJ statistics that show that the state is looking at a $62 million price tag to rent space from county jails. "The long run cost savings to Texas could be astronomical as there...