Cecilia Monzón's family expressed satisfaction over the conviction of her ex-partner, Javier López Zavala, for the 2022 femicide in Puebla. The court found him guilty of planning the murder, with sentencing set for December 31, 2025. The family is pushing for the maximum penalty of 60 years in prison.
Cecilia Monzón's family, of the Mexican-Spanish activist who dedicated her life to defending women victims of violence, issued a statement on Wednesday hailing the "historic" conviction of Javier López Zavala. The former politician, who ran for governor of Puebla in 2010 and was Monzón's ex-partner, was found guilty by Puebla's State Gender Perspective Trial Court. The verdict, delivered on Tuesday, established that López Zavala planned the femicide and supplied the material means to Jair Mauricio Domínguez and Silvestre Vargas Ramírez, who acted as co-perpetrators by shooting Monzón up to seven times on May 21, 2022, in San Pedro Cholula.
The oral trial, which began in April 2025, spanned over 80 hearings despite the defense's repeated legal maneuvers to delay proceedings. "It is a historic conviction that applies a gender perspective and individualizes responsibility based on the evidence presented in trial," the family statement noted. They acknowledged the crucial work of the Puebla Attorney General's Office, the Puebla state government, and Mexico's Secretariat for Women, along with support from the Spanish consulate and non-governmental organizations.
Days before the murder, Monzón had gone to the prosecutor's office to demand child support from López Zavala, who served as interior secretary under Governor Mario Marín (2005-2011). The family reaffirmed their commitment to honoring Monzón's fight for women's rights in Puebla and Mexico, demanding maximum penalties for all defendants at the December 31, 2025, sentencing hearing.
