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ASSASSINATION ON 5 AUGUST 1991 OF JOSE MIGUEL ((MERIDA)) ESGO ART"THE
FORHER CHIEF OF THE HOMICIDE AND KIDNAPPING INVESTIGATION SECTION O
THE GUATEMALAN NATIONAL POLICE, IS BELIEVED BI SENIOR POLICE I
OFFICIALS TO HAVE BEEN RELATED TO HIS INVOLVEMENT HITH A GROUP OF
CORRUPT POLICE OFFICEHS, INGLUDING INDIVIDUALS NAHED ((sOTO)),
((SOLAREs)), ((PENA)) AND ((SALAZAR)). THESE MEN HAD FORMED PART OF
A GANO DEDICATED T0 BANK ROEEERIES AND OTHER CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES.

THE Two CHIEF SUSPECTS IN THE MURDER ARE LUIS ARMANDO ((CASTRO))
JIMENEZ AND EDGAR ENRIQUE ((GALWEz)), BOTH FORMER MEMBERS OF MERIDA'S
UNIT WHO WERE INVOLVED IN THE DECEMBER 199o ROBBERI OF THE LAS VEGAS
BILLIARDS HALL IN ZONE 1. BOTH MEN HERE DISMISSED AND CHARGED IN THE
-THEET, NHICH INVOLVED THE ROBEERI OE U.S. CITIZENS. MERIDA NAS ALSO
SUSPECTED OF INVOLVEMENT IN THE ROBBERI AND HAD BEEN REMOVED EROM HIS
POSITION As CHIEE OF THE HONICIDE AND KIDNAP INVESTIGATION SECTION A
WEEK BEFORE HIS MURDER. HE NAS TO HAVE BEEN DISMISSED FROM THE
NATIONAL POLICE IN THE NEAR FUTURE. EITHER CASTRO OR GALVEZ BORROWED
THE CAR USED IN THE ASSASSINATION FROM A THIRD FORMER NATIONAL
POLICEMAN KNONN TO HAVE HEEN A.MEMBER OF A BANK ROBBERI GANO.

(SOURCE COMMENT: IT APPEARS THAT MERIDA INFORMED ON HIS PARTNERS
WHEN THE POOL HALL ROEEERI NAS INVESTIGATED, LEADING TO HIS MURDER
WHEN THEY HERE RELEASED EROM CUSTODY. BY INFORHING, HE TEMPORARILI
SAWED HIS JOB. THE FULL EXTENT OF HIS INVOLVEMENT IN ILLEGAL
ACTIVITI IS UNKNONN. IN THE COURSE OF HIS POLICE HORK, MERIDA HAD
BEEN INVOLVED IN THE INVESTIGATION OF THE MURDER. OE. .MYRNA ((MACKH
CHANG, A GUATEMALAN ANTHROPOLOGIST WITH LEFTIST POLITICAL TIES.5 

 

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2. THE CAR USED IN THE ASSASSINATION OF MERIDA NAS ONNED BY
ALFREDO DE JESUS ((GUERRA)) GALINDO, WHO HAD PURCHASED IT A SHORT
TIME BEFORE THE INCIDENT AND HAD NOT RAD TIME TO TAKE OUT THE LEGAL
PAPERS FOR IT. (FIELD COMMENT: THE GUATEMALAN PRESS OF 7 AUGUST
REPORTED THAT GUERRA HAD BEEN ARRESTED AS A SUSPECT IN THE CRIME.)
GUERRA IS A FORMER MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL POLICE FIFTH DEPARTHENT,
WHO NAS DISMISSED ON 23 FEBRUARY 1990, FOR FAILING TO SHOW UP FOR
WORK. HE NAS ASSIGNED TO WORK WITH THE SECURITY FORCE FOR THE VICE
MINISTER OF GOVERNMENT. AT THE TIME HE NAS DISMISSED, HE NAS UNDER
INVESTIGATION FOR A SERIES OF ROBBERIES NHICH HAD TAKEN PLACE AT THE
END OF 1989 AND IN EARLY 1990. THESE INCLUDED THE ROBBERY OF THE
BANCO BANDESA IN JUTIAPA IN 1989, THE ROBBERY OF THE BANCO BANDESA IN
COBAN IN 1990, AND THE ROBBERY OF THE BANCO INMOBILARIO IN GUATEMALA
CITY. THE GANG ALSO ROBBED TWO GAS STATIONS IN GUATEMALA CITY. A
VEHICLE AND WEAPONS BELONGING TO THE SECURITY STAFF OF THE VICE
MINISTER OF GOVERNHENT HERE USED IN THE ROBBERIES. GUERRA HAS THUS
FAR CLAIMED HE "LENT" THE CAR TO EITHER CASTRO OR GALVEZ (WHICH ONE
NAS NOT SPECIFIED) AND RAD NO IDEA THEY HERE GOING TO USE IT IN THE
ASSASSINATION OF MERIDA.

3. DESPITE THE FAIRLY CLEAR TRAIL LEADING TO THE MURDERERS OF
MERIDA, COLONEL MARCO ANTONIO ((GONZALEZ)) TARACENA, DIRECTOR OF THE
MILITARÏ INTELLIGENCE SERVICE, MINISTER OF GOVERNMENT FERNANDO J

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((HURTADO)) PREH AND RETIRED COLONEL MARIO ((PAIZ)) BOLANOS, DIRECTOR
OF THE NATIONAL POLICE, HAVE STARTED TO SPREAD THE RUMOR THAT THE
SECURITY DEPARTMENT OF THE PRESIDENTIAL GENERAL STAFF, HHICH COMES
UNDER THE CONTROL OF COLONEL LUIS FRANCISCO ((ORTEGA)) MENALDO, WAS
IN SOME WAY INVOLVED IN THE KILLING. ‘MERIDA'S INVOLVEMENT IN THE _
INVESTIGATION OF THE MYRNA MACK CASE, NHICH HAS GAINED NIDESPREAD
INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION AND THE PERSONAL INTEREST OF PRESIDENT JORGE
((SERRANO)) ELIAS, MAKES HIS MURDER A USEFUL TOOL FOR ANYONE WISHING
TO DAMAGE A POLITICAL ENEMY. THE BASIS OF THE RUMORS IS THE FACT
THAT TWO ENLISTED MEN ASSIGNED TO THE SECURITY DEPARTMENT OF THE
PRESIDENTIAL GENERAL STAFF, MARCO TULIO ((LOPEZ)) RAYMUNDO AND JUAN
((HERNANDEZ)) SANCHEZ, HERE ARRESTED ON 9 JULY BY THE NATIONAL POLICE
IN COLONIA BELEN, HIXCO (A SUBURB OF GUATEMALA CITY). BOTH HERE
AHMED AND SAID THEY HERE HAITING FOR FRIENDS TO GO DRINKING. IN
FACT, THEY HERE IN HIXCO PLANNING TO STEAL A CAR. THEY HERE TURNED
OVER T0 THE COMHANDER OF THE SECURITY DEPARTMENT LATER IN THE DAY,
AND THAT SAME DAY A HEARING WAS HELD, AND BOTH HERE DISMISSED FROM
THE SERVICE AS HABITUAL DRUNKARDS. THE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL
POLICE HAS NOW CLAIMED THE MEN HERE IN FACT SURVEILLING A NATIONAL
POLICE OFFICER WHO LIVED IN THE AREA. FROM THIS, HE IS TRYING TO
MAKE A CASE IT WAS THE SECURITY DEPARTMENT THAT WAS INVOLVED IN THE
KILLING OF MERIDA.

 

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