Group Urges Wider Probe in Felix Death

A self-styled group of press-freedom advocates said Wednesday that a suspect in the killing of a popular newspaper columnist is a “scapegoat,” and they called on authorities to pursue the possible involvement of politicians, drug traffickers and other local power brokers.

“Let the chips fall where they may,” said Catalino Zavala, a longtime political activist and a member of the Permanent Assembly for the Defense of Liberty of Expression.

The assembly, composed largely of political activists from opposition parties here, was formed after the April 20 slaying of Hector (Gato) Felix Miranda, the trenchant satirist whose acid-tongued column often took aim at the rich and powerful in Baja California.

The slaying has galvanized political opposition, putting extreme pressure on state authorities to find the killer.

Officials have dismissed comments by the assembly as politically motivated.

“They’re trying to take advantage of this unfortunate event for political reasons,” Miguel Angel Torres, chief spokesman for Baja Gov. Xicotencatl Leyva Mortera, said last weekend.

Although police have characterized the crime as a case of personal vengeance, critics have said the slaying may be linked to high-ranking politicians or other influential people here. Acknowledging that the principal suspects may be the “material” killers, the free-press assembly nonetheless expressed fear that investigators may never seek those behind the slaying.

Suspect Arrested

“This case cannot be closed until the intellectual authors are found,” said Blas Manrique, an opposition figure who is a member of the assembly.

Last weekend, officials announced the arrest of Victoriano Medina Moreno, a security guard at Caliente Race Track and a former state police official, as the alleged trigger man in the case. Although Medina signed a confession, he later said he signed it under duress and retracted the comments. Officials deny that physical force was used on Medina.

On Wednesday, Judge Felizardo Ruiz ordered Medina held without bail for trial in the case. Under heavy guard, Medina was transferred from the municipal jail to the state penitentiary, where he was to be given extra protection because of his former police position. The trial, which is conducted largely through paper work in Mexico, could last a year.

Another Man Sought

Also being sought in connection with the slaying was Antonio Vera Palestina, former chief of security at the race track who reportedly is a former member of several much-criticized federal and local police units in Mexico City. State police allege that Vera drove the getaway car. A search at the race track this week failed to turn up Vera, who many believe has fled Tijuana.

Authorities say the slaying was motivated by articles written by Felix, although associates could recall no pieces directly critical of the two suspects.

However, Felix’s columns in the maverick weekly Zeta directly targeted former employers of the two men.

For some time before his death, Felix had mercilessly lampooned Jorge Hank Rhon, the race track president and one of Tijuana’s wealthiest individuals. Hank is the son of Carlos Hank Gonzalez, a former mayor of Mexico City who is considered one of the most powerful men in Mexico. Vera, the fugitive in the case, is a longtime employee of the Hank family, both in Mexico City and Tijuana.

The younger Hank has denied any role in the killing.

Medina also worked as a state police officer for a former Baja attorney general, Eliseo Aguinaga. Zeta published articles linking Aguinaga to drug smugglers--allegations Aguinaga denied.