The death of a woman who was fatally stabbed in the street in broad daylight when she was about to celebrate her birthday has caused outrage in Mexico and garnered reactions from the country’s president.
Other world leaders including the president of El Salvador have also reacted.
The suspect has since been arrested.
Milagros de Monserrat was walking down Lago de Zumpango street in the city of Leon, in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato, on her birthday, on 10th August, when she was brutally stabbed, with the graphic footage showing her bleeding profusely all over the street.
CCTV footage shows the moment that the woman, who turned 40 that day, was assaulted by a man wearing a yellow shirt while on her way to work at a nearby Walmart Express.
The video shows the moment the man threatened the woman with a knife and tries to take her handbag.
She reportedly said: “I have nothing, I swear I have nothing, I swear I have nothing.”
These were her last words.
The man can be seen stabbing Milagros before running away. The woman is seen holding her belly and bleeding profusely, with blood spattering all over the street.
According to local media, that day was her birthday and it was not the first time she was assaulted in the area. She was also single and had no children.
Her brother believes it was a deliberate, targeted attack carried out by a former partner.
The Security Secretariat of Leon denied that it was a robbery gone wrong, stating that it was an attack linked to personal matters.
A suspect named only as Miguel was arrested the following day.
This was confirmed by the mayor of the Guanajuato capital, Alejandro Navarro, who said on social media: “After an operation with the Secretary of Citizen Security, in coordination with the Guanajuato Prosecutor’s Office, we have managed to capture Mighuel, murderer of Milagros, in Noria Alta.”
The Salvadoran President, Nayib Bukele, bizarrely said on social media that human rights organisations would “not say anything” about the case and that they would even come out in defence of the murderer.
He said: “But the ‘human rights’ NGOs won’t say anything, they don’t care about the death of honest people.
“They would merely come to the defence of the murderer if the State does its job and gets him off the streets. There they will go out to ask for good treatment and ‘reintegration’ for that disgusting rat.”
For his part, the President of Mexico, Andres Manuel López Obrador, lamented the death of Milagros Monserrat during a conference last Friday and spoke about the statements of his Salvadoran counterpart.
He said: “They are different realities and also different conceptions. I think that the causes must be addressed, it is not just about applying coercive measures. Lasting peace is achieved with justice, and that is what we are putting into practice. And I don’t want to argue with the president of El Salvador, no.”