Mexico’s first openly non-binary magistrate – an outspoken LGBTQIA+ activist – was found dead in their home on Monday in an apparent murder-suicide, officials said.
The bodies of magistrate Jesús Ociel Baena, 39, and their partner, Dorian Herrera, 37, were found in the basement of their home in Aguascalientes state yesterday, local prosecutor Jesús Figueroa told Milenio.
Baena was apparently stabbed to death by Herrera, who then killed himself with the same weapon, Figueroa claimed.
“The body of the magistrate has 20 wounds, one fatal in the jugular, and his partner has a wound on his finger which was caused, according to experts, precisely by the use of a knife (…) it was used as an invasion tool,” local officials said of the alarming crime scene.
“We found footprints, left and right, that match the magistrate’s partner and we believe that according to the fact-finding mechanism, the magistrate has been stripped [their] life downstairs…in [their] back,” continued Figueroa.
Jesús Ociel Baena is the first openly non-binary person to hold a judicial office in Mexico. Jesus Ociel Baena / Instagram
Security cameras only showed the couple entering the house around 1:16 a.m. local time Monday – which initially ruled out the possibility that an outside intruder was involved in the murder, prosecutors said.
“There is no scientific information that allows us to confirm that other people entered, only two people were inside [property] are the two of them,” he said.
“We saw the clothes they were wearing matched the clothes they were wearing when they arrived [home]we see that these articles of clothing are found in the bedroom where the blood print was found.
“We believe that at first there was a difference between them because the body was found on the ground floor.”
A protester holds a picture of Aguascalientes state electoral court magistrate Jesus Ociel Baena in Mexico City, on Monday, Nov. 13. 2023.AP
Authorities previously confirmed that both deaths appeared to be caused by “personal matters.”
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Baena became the first openly non-binary person to hold a judicial position in Mexico in October 2022, when she was sworn in as a magistrate in front of a rainbow LGBTQIA+ flag.
On Monday night, thousands of people marched in Mexico City to demand justice for Baena, who many credited with breaking barriers for queer and non-binary Mexicans in government and beyond.
“They are people who receive a lot of hateful messages, even threats of violence and death, and you cannot ignore that in this investigation,” Alejandro Brito, director of the LGBTQIA+ rights group Letra S, said of Baena.
“They, the magistrates, have broken through the invisible barriers that close in on the non-binary community.”
One protester, Nish López, said they came out as non-binary in March this year thanks in part to inspiration from Baena.
“I like them because they make people uncomfortable, but they know what they’re doing. Through institutions, they show that you can inspire change regardless of your gender identity,” said López.
Baena regularly shares photos and videos of themselves in high heels, skirts and makeup for their many social media followers.
Activists have urged the government to launch a full investigation into Baena’s death.OCIEL BAENA / X
“I am a non-binary person. I’m not interested in being seen as a woman or a man. This is identity. It’s mine, for me, and no one else’s. Accept it,” they wrote in X in June.
That same month, Baena was among the first group of people to receive a gender-neutral passport.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
