AMERIQUE:


A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: It is the unspoken statistic, but it is as real as anything to do with the lingering U.S. war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to the military, 1,800 American servicemen have killed themselves since the initial invasion of Baghdad. That is in addition to the more than 4,000 who died in battle. This week, families of the soldiers who committed suicide asked President Barack Obama to change the government policy of not forwarding letters of appreciation to mothers and fathers of these servicemen. By week's end, the White House had reversed the policy and agreed that such letters are needed, as well... - Eduardo Paz-Martinez, Editor of The Tribune

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Echoes Of The Dead: A Month Later, No News On Why The Young Assistant District Attorney Died...Found Inside His Vehicle In Matamoros, Mexico...

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ
Editor-In-Chief

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - In the aging, fat files of police departments across the country, they are listed as unsolved crimes. On television, they are referred to as cold cases. Always, they are rife with titillating tidbits of info that lead those poring over the material to craft a worthy conspiracy theory. A bullet hole in the low back of the neck indicating upward flight of the projectile and it's a dwarf doing the shooting. A butchering from behind with a hunting knife and it's the business partner. A dead-on pistol shot in the face and it's the wife unable to come to terms with her man's sexual infidelity.

The case of Arturo Jose Iniguez here has birthed a litany of theories.

The young assistant district attorney for Cameron County was barely 26 when his limp body was found at 10:30 p.m. last March 19th inside his gray, 2008 Jeep Patriot sport utility vehicle in the neighboring Mexican bordertown of Matamoros, along a quiet-looking street where malnourished, scraggly little boys often play stickball with makeshift baseballs made out of rolled-up socks and duct tape. How Iniguez found that particular street is anybody's guess. No one is talking. Not the investigating cops, and not his boss - District Attorney Armando Villalobos, shown in green-striped tie above.

They say Iniguez was despondent, but that has been thrown out as if describing the color of his vehicle or his casual, day-off shirt on the day he died, without proof or elaboration.

Some pointed to a comment Iniguez left before his mysterious death.

"We're the middle children of history, man," he wrote in his last days while adding a post to his Facebook page, quoting froma character in the movie, The Fight Club"No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war. Our Great Depression is our lives."

One could make a shallow case for that being characterized as someone being depressed. But who knows? Facebook is famous for lies and posturing that makes its participants post both inanities in equal amounts as facts. What if it was just Iniguez wishing to use a favorite quote and nothing more?

But what's become especially grating is D.A. Villalobos and his decision to say little about Iniguez, the death, or the investigation. An autopsy of the young lawyer's body in Mexico revealed traces of an animal sedative in examined tissue. Villalobos accepted the possibility of suicide at first, but then sought a second autopsy to be conducted in this country. Nothing has been said about whether it was undertaken, or about its results.

The death remains that, just another weird death in Mexico with the barest of information, so weird that Iniguez's mother insists he died in a car accident.

Much has been made of family privacy, which is laudable, but this was a public servant who died while under the employ of a public entity. Iniguez was not just another ambulance chaser or bribe-provider in town; he was a defender of the public's side of things in court. His having a young wife and 2-year-old child seem at odds with suicide. Villalobos hasn't budged. He has quietly disdained disclosing his findings, odd as that sounds for a prosecutor. Assuaging the public he serves appears not to be his favored path on this particular case. Perhaps he wants the death to simply go away or be added to the slush pile of unsolved crimes. Rumors however, abound, too many of them to let that be Iniguez's legacy.

Villalobos, forever the coy, selective-prosecution D.A. with higher political ambition, owes the public a thorough investigation and complete disclosure of the findings - good or bad for his office or his image.

That some people in town openly theorize that Iniguez was killed by members of the drug cartels, that he chose suicide because of perceived office shenanigans, that he couldn't cope with a sizeable college debt. Most of that is absurd, but, as with plots on TV crime shows, it's become the juicy part of the story.

His is not an unsolved case - or a cold case - at this point.

This is now a sad case, and someone should be held accountable for the shoddy treatment afforded this young man. You'd think a speedy resolution of the manner and reason for his curious death would be uppermost on the minds of those who employed him and knew him...

- 30 -

39 comments:

Cable Guy said...

hey, good to have you back. Hope you had a good visit with your daughter. That Armando Villalobos is a weird dude. He wants to be a congressman but he ain't going nowhere. cannot be trusted. Good story!

Anonymous said...

Been wondering about what happend to that guy. Too bad there is no ending for this story.

El De Los Fresnos said...

Walmart people is hilarious! Thanks for turnin us onto that site. I expect to see a picture of Chapaneco shopping there. LOL!!!

Anonymous said...

It is funny. and I would bet a hundred bucks Chapa is a Walmart regular. They have a childrens clothing section, right? LOL!!

Anonymous said...

Drunk driving laws don't matter in the valley. Guys are gonna drink. No matter what. Just the way it is.

Senor Pipon said...

Armando Villalobos, thinks he is good enough for the Senate, think again, I don't you can be trusted.

Anonymous said...

Los Fresnos Man, Wallmart is to good for Chanpaneco, he buys at Fallas Paredes. Or outlet second hand stores, look at the shoes he wears.

Anonymous said...

Had some training on Public Relations, and Wallmart was one of the topics. Crazy people like el pinche Champaneco.

Hector said...

Walmart is okay. It's stocking what people around here need, cheap toys, jeans, blouses and bolillos. And I do know that Chapete gets his sansabelt pants there. LOL!!!

Ralph said...

I wonder if the Zetas have scared off Villalobos or if the Iniguez famly wants to put the clamps on this. car accident? That was always ridiculous.

Anonymous said...

Falla Paredes, man people are hitting rock bottom when they go there. Wallmart is better.
Champanecos favorite store...huh...what do we expect, Cholita supports him.

Anonymous said...

Man, those wallmart pictures are, well American indeed, America at it's finest. Wallmart crowd.

Roy said...

Excellent reporting on the dead DA story. and the walmart thing is just hilarious. I agree.

Mr. Brownsville said...

Tony "Walmart" Chapa sounds perfect for that dwarf-like unemployed mantenido. Hey, Chapa, milk spill on Aisle 10! LOL!!!!

Anonymous said...

The Iniguez story will come out. just like the judge Limas story came out. All stories come out sooner or later.

Luisa said...

Paz-Martinez, were you joking when you wrote that no Newspaper from the LRGV won a P. award? This has to be a joke, it has to..

Anonymous said...

Is there an award for "not" reporting, okay, now you are talking South Tx. language.

Anonymous said...

He's not joking, Luisa. The local boys struck out. But they would get it for ignoring the news. Ha ha ha ha

Luisa said...

not joking, Anon, Agree.

Anonymous said...

Freedom Newspapers only take the advertising money they make out bof the valley. send it to California office. Losers!

Anonymous said...

No one reads the newspaper here in Harlingen since Jerry Deal died. He was the best editor that paper ever had. Too bad. Now all we have is chapaneco and his diarrhea. Press releases come out of that guy like a bad Menudo crap. LOL!!!

Low rider Y que said...

Anon, LOL, champaneco is not a news outlet, it is damn rumor mill use for the purpose of attacking police officers, viejo mantenido, mandilon, faldillon.

ex jailbird said...

Elizabeth Valdez is one tough looking woman. At the county farm they have some pretty nasty women. Ayi te aplacan, no le ace que tantas estrellas traigas, gordita.

ex jailbird said...

Jesse Sauceda, I hope you are legal, in the upper pods at Carrizalez/Ruckers, they have some nasty jailbirds, believe me, those guys are full of hatred and anger. They have rules, and demand respect. Como dicen aya en la palma, ayi te ponen la pompa andar in no time, bro.

Anonymous said...

The wall mart picture of the woman wearing red underwear, makes me wonder if they let the trailer park people out to the world. Nothing but Bubbas and fat ugly women, full of lonja.

Anonymous said...

Tony Chapa, the so-called Human hemorroid, has had no news lately. Nothing that means adamn. Press release, press release, press release. mindless nothingness.

El Chicle said...

hey, I hear the DA Iniguez died of bredom. Someon said he was reading Chapaneco's blog when he suddenly died. Wow!! A dead Blog sending a man to his death.

Anonymous said...

I am sorry to hear that Jerry Deal has died. For many years I enjoyed his Sunday colums in the VMS. Likewise I always liked reading his MLN blog. Who is taking over his blog?

Anonymous said...

Who said Jerry Deal is dead, Jerry is okay.

Anonymous said...

Jerry Deal,is probably at Baloos, thats where he likes to spend his evenings, baloos is a bar, by the way.

Anonymous said...

Could be he was reported dead drunk.

Patrick Alcatraz said...

ALL:...As far as we know, Blogger and journalist Jerry deal has not died. In fact, he is active on his website this morning. It's a bit early to write his obituary... - Editor

Anonymous said...

agree, he is writing articles, good deal.

Anonymous said...

So what Zayas think, just because he is lawyer doesn't give him the right to put other people in danger.

Anonymous said...

So a lawyer from Harlingen, was in Limas little bag of tricks, huh...sounds interesting.

sal said...

Jan Brewer is one very unattractive woman. Low rent type, she probably wants to seek a higher office. Pobre vija bruja sonsa.

Anonymous said...

I think Elizabeth Valdez and Jan Brewer could pass as siters. Well if Jan, could just tatoo some stars in her face. She be okay.

Anonymous said...

No lie that Jan Brewer looks like she died a decade ago. Ugleeeeee

Anonymous said...

IS MINERVA PEñA GOING TO ASK THE JUDGE TO BEND THE LAW FOR RICK EL “Z” ZAYAS, THE WAY SHE WANTED TO BEND THE POLICIES FOR SPRINGSTON AND FULLER?