Pilar Garrido murder case in Mexico and family’s call for justice, Digi Mart USA News (Mexico): Pilar Garrido, a 34-year-old woman from Valencia, Spain, was strangled in Mexico in July 2017. More than nine years later, her family is facing another painful moment after Mexican justice released her husband, Jorge Fernández, who had been sentenced in 2019 to 47 years in prison for femicide.
“The murder of my sister cannot be left unpunished in a drawer,” the victim’s family says. “If it wasn’t him, who killed her?” They feel they are back at the starting point, with the police investigation closed years ago.
The family also says they have received no official information about the release. Jorge himself called his wife’s sister, who holds custody of their son, now ten years old, to tell her he was free.
“No one has notified us of anything; what we know is through Mexican media,” said Raquel Garrido. “We demand that the State of Mexico ensure justice is done.
We have always trusted Mexican authorities and we do not want my sister’s case to be filed away without a culprit,” she added alongside her mother, Rosa María.
According to the source, Mexican courts do not question that the case is a femicide. However, the latest ruling, which accepts the convicted man’s appeal (amparo), prioritizes the presumption of innocence.
It considers that his first statements, made while he was still listed as a victim, cannot be weighed because doing so would leave him defenseless. Under that standard, the prosecution must prove authorship, and without sufficient evidence, release is appropriate.
The earlier ruling, by contrast, referred to “apt, suitable and sufficient indications.” At trial, the accused remained silent and invoked his right not to testify.
The case dates back to July 2, 2017. Her husband reported a kidnapping by armed young men, but the absence of a ransom demand and inconsistencies in his account directed suspicion toward him.
Twenty-four days later, skeletal remains were found at kilometer 55 of the highway between Soto la Marina and Ciudad Victoria. On August 9, a genetic profile confirmed they belonged to Pilar.
Forensic anthropology concluded she had been strangled. Her friends say she wanted to return to Spain with her son, and one said she had already booked a flight.
Pilar was 34 years old and had a future ahead of her with her son. Her family, devastated by reliving a pain they were trying to heal from, asks for something very simple: that justice be done and that the case not be closed without answers.
