Sections
Edition
Language
International
Mexico

Arrested the alleged person responsible for the murder of the Spanish student in Mexico

Francisco Javier, known as El Trompas, "would have confessed" the crime

2 min
Several people protesting against the murder of Claudia Tacoronte during the parade for Mexico's Independence Day in the town of Cuernavaca in Morelos.
Several people protesting against the murder of Claudia Tacoronte during the parade for Mexico's Independence Day in the town of Cuernavaca in Morelos. Tony Rivera / EFE
ARA
18/09/2026 - 19:02 h
Unverified translation
  • CAT
  • CAST

BarcelonaMexican authorities arrested on Thursday the alleged person responsible for the murder of Claudia Tacoronte, a 21-year-old Spanish student who was stabbed on September 12 in the municipality of Cuautla, in the state of Morelos. The detainee is Francisco Javier, known as El Trompas, against whom the Morelos Prosecutor's Office had issued an arrest warrant.

The arrested individual "reportedly confessed" to the crime, according to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, in an audio message released by the ministry. Albares thanked his Mexican counterpart, Roberto Velasco, for the "speed" in the arrest of the alleged murderer and in the investigations, and requested "that responsibilities be fully clarified and that everyone involved answers to justice".

The Secretary of Security of Mexico, Omar García Harfuch, was the one who reported on the arrest, the result of a coordinated operation in which the navy, the National Guard, the Attorney General's Office of the Republic, and state authorities participated, and which took place five days after the crime. The Morelos prosecutor has informed that the maximum prison sentence of 70 years will be requested against the alleged murderer.

Participants in the minute of silence called by the University of Granada in memory of student Claudia Tacoronte Aguilera, murdered in Mexico.
Participants in the minute of silence called by the University of Granada in memory of student Claudia Tacoronte Aguilera, murdered in Mexico. Arsenio Zurita / EUROPA PRESS

The police have arrested the alleged murderer in Cuautla, the same town where on Saturday, shortly before nine in the evening (local time), he allegedly perpetrated the attack that ended the victim's life. The events took place at the city's House of Culture.

Tacoronte had arrived in Mexico in mid-August to complete an academic stay at the Autonomous University of the State of Morelos (UAEM). The young woman, a student at the University of Granada, resided in Cuernavaca and had attended a traditional medicine fair in Cuautla.

The crime has sparked outrage inside and outside of Mexico, especially after it became known that Tacoronte is the fourth UAEM student murdered in seven months, following three other cases that had already generated protests and student strikes. In Mexico, an average of ten women are murdered every day, and a quarter of this figure are processed as femicides.

stats