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MEXICO CITY, Mexico. Rubén Moreno (43 years old) and Omar Eduardo Ramírez (24 years old) were a couple. They were victims of a hate crime in Sonora, a state in northwestern Mexico. Local media outlets are reporting several versions of the events. However, activists maintain that it was a hate crime, given the violence described in media reports regarding the discovery of their bodies.

The Sonora State Attorney General's Office did not provide details of the incident. It only stated that they are "conducting an investigation into the double homicide." 

The events took place in Magdalena de Kino . It is a "Pueblo Mágico" (Magical Town) located in the north of the state of Sonora, near Nogales, a city that borders the United States.

What is known

Rubén was a renowned stylist and owner of his own business, Estética Unisex Rubén . Upon learning of his death, family, clients, and friends expressed their outrage. They also shared messages of love and farewell on social media.

The same thing happened with Omar Eduardo. They offered their condolences to his mother, who shared her grief, sending loving messages to her son and mentioning what she said were Omar's favorite songs, like "Flowers" by Miley Cyrus. 

Both families are demanding that the crime not go unpunished and that justice be served. Activists are calling on the Sonora State Attorney General's Office to classify this case as a hate crime motivated by homophobia and to apply the National Protocol for Action for Personnel of Law Enforcement Agencies in the Country in cases involving sexual orientation or gender identity.

“This event shook us deeply; it’s a hate crime. But there’s so much secrecy surrounding it that we don’t know the motive. Was it homophobia? Was it extortion? And the Prosecutor’s Office isn’t saying anything. They’re being very secretive; their statement doesn’t mention a hate crime, it doesn’t say they’re going to apply the Protocol . And they can’t say they don’t know because they were trained,” says María Alatorre, an LGBT+ human rights defender and member of Diverciudad AC , in an interview with Presentes .

The Sonora State Human Rights Commission initiated an official complaint regarding this incident. The complaint alleges "the probable violation of the rights to access to justice, life, and personal integrity, attributed to the Sonora State Attorney General's Office."

The secrecy of the Prosecutor's Office makes it impossible to know what happened.

Local news reports stated that the couple was last seen on July 8th; others indicated they had been missing for several days (without specifying how many), but no official missing persons report was issued. Some media outlets reported that the bodies of Rubén and Omar Eduardo were found in a vacant lot. Others reported they were found dead in their home in the town of Magdalena de Kino, Sonora. 

All press reports agree that the bodies of Rubén and Omar Eduardo had gunshot wounds, were bound, and were found inside black bags . However, this has not been confirmed by the local prosecutor's office.

On July 11, the Prosecutor's Office issued a statement . It did not reveal any details, only mentioning that "the investigation into the double homicide is ongoing."

This news outlet contacted the Sonora Attorney General's Office by phone to obtain an official statement regarding both the discovery and the approach to the investigation, given the numerous reports in the local press. They reiterated their previous statement, saying they would not provide further information "so as not to hinder the investigation."

On social media, Omar Eduardo's mother stated that they were not murdered on July 8th, but rather on Thursday, July 6th. She also said that her son was 24 years old, not 29 as all the press reports and even the Attorney General's Office bulletin have indicated. 

“I am extremely upset. That child is my son. Don’t they realize how much they hurt the family by saying such stupid things? Besides having to bear the pain of losing a child, I also have to endure the sensationalism of these unethical people,” the woman told a local news outlet. 

Widespread violence hinders demands for justice in Magdalena de Kino

Activist María Alatorre explains that in Sonora, “being openly LGBT” has its “risky aspects,” and that this hinders a more public demand for change throughout the state. This is especially true in less centralized cities like Magdalena de Kino.

The organizations and groups that make up the Sonora LGBT Coalition have spoken out about this hate crime. However, in Magdalena (and other cities in the state), widespread violence prevents demands for justice from being more direct or making more noise. Furthermore, the heat, exceeding 45 degrees Celsius in the state, poses a health risk for those wishing to protest in the streets.

Alatorre comments that in Sonora there is a duality between “the existence of provincial conservatism, and the ethnographic and statistical evidence that shows us the acceptance of LGBT people and their rights. Added to this is the LGBT community awakening that is also taking place outside of Hermosillo (the capital of the state of Sonora).”

But the human rights advocate warns that these contexts are compounded by widespread violence, making Sonora a “hotspot for organized crime violence.” According to Insight Crime , at least three major cartels are behind the violence in Sonora.

In the current administration of the Sonora government (2021 to June 2023), under Alfonso Durazo, the victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 inhabitants almost triple the national average that accumulates 61.28 victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 inhabitants.

The activists are investigating discreetly.

Despite the existence of the National Protocol for Action for Personnel of the Justice Administration Agencies of the Country, in cases involving Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity , it “is not applied, even though they are trained,” Alatorre denounces.

The activist adds that, since the Prosecutor's Office does not investigate, human rights defenders and LGBT+ organizations that document these hate crimes in Sonora must do so discreetly.. 

Because the Mexican State does not record hate crimes against LGBT people, organizations that keep track of these events, such as Letra S , report in their statistics that from 2019 to 2022 at least three LGBT+ people were murdered in Sonora, two of whom were gay men.

“Here we know that unity is strength”

María Alatorre points out that the work being done by organizations in Sonora, from the community level to political advocacy, is what keeps LGBTI+ people in that state and organized groups achieving recognition of their rights and the pursuit of justice. 

“It may seem like we’re not making progress in Sonora, but we are taking firm steps. And it’s not so much the institutions, but rather organized civil society and community work. They are doing the work of making the presence of LGBT people visible, recognizing their rights, seeking justice, and defending human rights. This strengthening is what fills us with hope, and recognizing that in this context is important. Here, we know that unity is strength,” Alatorre concludes.