Gunmen kill prison guards, judge's aide linked to high-profile cases in Guatemala

[Judi Lynn]

Gunmen kill prison guards, judge's aide linked to high-profile cases in Guatemala
By Associated Press
7:47 p.m. EDT, October 31, 2009

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — An assistant to the judge handling the case of a man who blamed his death on Guatemala's president has himself been killed by gunmen.

National police spokesman Pablo Castillo says court employee Mark Monzon died of gunshot wounds in his car Friday.

Eleven people have been arrested in the May 10 killing of lawyer Rodrigo Rosenberg, who accused President Alvaro Colom of involvement in his death in a video released posthumously. Colom has denied any connection. Castillo released the information on Monzon's death Saturday.

Also Saturday, gunmen killed one prison guard and wounded four others outside a prison in Guatemala City.

Prison spokesman Rudy Esquivel said the attacks could be linked to the recent transfer of an inmate linked to the killings of three Central American parliament members in 2007.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-lt-guatemala-killings,0,3363570.story

[rabs]

1. Judi, the assistant judge killed was investigating the killing of Rosenberg

You will remember the attorney Rosenberg who left the video tape blaming Colom for his death.

Spanish news reports said Monzon and another driver had a traffic altercation and the other driver pulled out a pistol and shot Monzon in the head.

No indication yet that it was connected to the Rosenberg investigation.

Eleven men, including cops, former cops and civilians have been arrested in the killing of Rosenberg.

(Really lousy story by the AP)

[Judi Lynn]

2. Didn't know that about this judge. I've read judges in Colombia are also expected

to do their own investigations, usually with not nearly enough revenue to do a proper job, and they also take a heavy hit from assassinations.

We truly are left in the dark on wire service stories, almost always. They have fallen so far from even basic journalistic obligations.

Hope this won't be the end of the intention to get the story illuminated on this event. We knew from the beginning there were serious misrepresentations. It didn't pass the "sniff" test.