Suspect in Columnist’s Slaying Says He Was Tortured, Forced to Confess

The accused triggerman in the slaying of a prominent columnist denied in court Monday that he killed the newsman and charged that police had tortured him and forced him to sign a false confession.

“I declare myself innocent,” said Victoriano Medina Moreno, who spoke from behind bars at the Baja California state courthouse after being transported under heavy guard from the penitentiary in the nearby La Mesa neighborhood.

Medina, whom police have described as both the material killer and one of two “intellectual authors” of the sensational killing, chose to focus on his own claims of innocence and declined to address what has emerged as the central question in the case: If Medina and his alleged accomplice were not the masterminds of the crime, who did order the murder?

Considerable Expectation

The court appearance, requested by Medina, had triggered considerable expectation in Tijuana, which has been riveted by the case since a shotgun-wielding gunman opened fire on Hector (Gato) Felix Miranda on April 20 as the journalist drove to work. There had even been speculation that Medina might not live to tell his tale.

On Monday, Medina, a compact, well-built man of 37 who looked fit, said he was at home at the time the slaying occurred, at about 9 a.m. Medina, whose only earlier public comments were somewhat incoherent ramblings when he was paraded in front of the press last month following his arrest, said he knew Felix only through the columnist’s popular writings.

Limiting the session was the fact that, under Mexican law, Medina was not required to answer any questions, either from the judge, prosecutor or defense attorney, all of whom were present. Medina was vague about details of the case, even failing to recall the date he was first arrested, although he provided a fairly specific account of his alleged torture, which authorities say never occurred.

Rumors have swept the city linking the slaying to various public officials and wealthy individuals, notably Jorge Hank Rhon, president of Caliente Race Track, where Medina worked as a security guard. Hank, a frequent target of the slain columnist, has denied any role in the slaying.

State authorities have vehemently denied published charges that they are covering up for the crime’s mastermind and that Medina is a scapegoat.

Along with Medina, police have named Antonio Vera Palestina, former director of security at the race track, as a principal suspect in the slaying. Vera, who allegedly drove the getaway car, is a fugitive. Both men are former police officers--Medina in Tijuana, Vera in Mexico City.

Police say the crime was motivated by negative articles Felix had written about one or both of the two principal suspects. But colleagues say they do not recall that the columnist ever mentioned either of their names in his weekly column in Zeta, the feisty publication that Felix co-founded eight years ago and co-edited until his death.

As Medina spoke at the cramped and smoke-filled courthouse office, a secretary typed his statement on a manual typewriter while about 50 journalists, court officials and attorneys strained to listen to his near-mumble. Outside, guards armed with Uzi submachine guns, shotguns and AK-47 attack rifles, among other arms, waited to whisk Medina back to the penitentiary, where he remains without bail pending the outcome of the murder charge. The case could last a year.

Medina, who was dressed in jeans, sneakers and a light-blue shirt and chain-smoked as he spoke, said several “confessions” that bear his name were signed under duress.

After his arrest last month, Medina said, he was blindfolded and beaten, and at one point was driven to the coast, where authorities forced sand in his eyes and salt water up his nose. According to Medina, officers also sprayed a mixture of soda water and chile up his nose, a torture allegedly employed by police here and widely known as the “Tehuacanazo,” after a popular mineral water.

Jose Gonzalez Ibanez, the Baja California district attorney handling the case, denied that Medina was tortured. He noted that there were no known witnesses and that two physicians had issued statements saying Medina had not been beaten or tortured.