Free Republic

MEXICO CITY — The mayor of a city south of Mexico’s capital was shot to death on Saturday, less than a day after taking office, officials said. Gunmen burst into the house of Mayor Gisela Mota in the city of Temixco and killed her, said the government of Morelos state, where Temixco is located. Two presumed assailants were killed and two others detained, said Morelos Gov. Graco Ramirez in the government statement. Officials attributed her killing to organized crime. ... Temixco is a city of about 100,000 people neighboring Cuernavaca, a resort and industrial city which has been suffering kidnappings...

In Mexico authorities have arrested a twelve-year-old boy whom they believe is responsible for the torture and murder of dozens as reported by Virginia Wheeler for The Sun: "His trademark involves cutting victims' throats so violently that their heads are left hanging by a thread." The suspect, known as El Ponchis or The Cloak, is under the command of Julio Jesus Radilla who allegedly is in charge of the Zetas-aligned South Pacific Drug Cartel in the central state of Morelos which is engaged in a turf battle with La Familia, and he "works with a group of women called the...

THE Mexican Army is hunting a 12-year-old assassin who is allegedly employed by a drug cartel to torture and murder its enemies. Known simply as El Ponchis - which means "The Cloak" - the young boy has been accused of helping wage a turf war in the central Morelos state. Reports said he was paid $US3000 per murder and that he tortured his victims before killing them. He often cuts his victim's throat, leaving the head attached by just a thread. Videos of El Ponchis attacking one enemy with a stick and cutting the throat of another have appeared online,...