The femicide of Atizapan in Mexico is sentenced to life imprisonment

Andrés Mendoza, known as the serial femicide of Atizapán, was sentenced to life in prison for a murder that occurred in May last year on the outskirts of the Mexican capital, authorities announced Friday.

After a judicial process that lasted several months, which was preceded by the scandal unleashed after the discovery of thousands of skeletal remains buried on the floor of Mendoza's house, a judge found him guilty and sentenced him to life in prison for Reyna's murder. González, a 34-year-old woman, whom he dismembered after murdering her in May 2021, the Attorney General of the State of Mexico said in a statement.

[The femicide of Atizapán speaks in prison for the first time: "Things have already been done, you have to put up with it, nothing is remedied"]

In addition to the life sentence, the 72-year-old must pay 448,100 pesos (about $22,006) as a fine and 1.34 million pesos (65,807 dollars) as compensation for the damage.

"This femicidal country continues to rise."

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Mendoza, a former butcher, was captured thanks to an investigation carried out on his own by a police commander, González's husband.

She showed up at the home of Mendoza, who was known to her family, and he murdered her.

Later the husband also came and, by calling his spouse's phone and hearing it ring, he managed to find the whereabouts of the woman's body, who had been missing for four days.

[They find the remains of at least 17 people in the house of the alleged femicide of Atizapán, in Mexico]

After his arrest on May 18, Mendoza's humble house, located in the Atizapán municipality of the State of Mexico, was taken over by dozens of police officers and prosecutors, who with the help of dogs, a bulldozer, and radars they began an exhaustive investigation of several days that allowed the discovery of

Six of these victims were identified through criminalistic techniques.

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At the site, notebooks with names of people, photographs, makeup products, nail polish, chains, earrings, bracelets, women's bags, shoes, mobile phones and various videos were also collected.

The scandal erupted while Mexico was facing --and is facing-- a crisis of sexist violence with more than 10 women murdered every day, according to UN Women.

The Mexican government registered 1,004 victims of femicide in 2021, as murder motivated by gender violence is typified, 2.66% more than in 2020.

With information from AP and Efe.