TEGUCIGALPA – Bairon Martinez, suspected murderer of Judge Mireya Mendoza in the northern Honduran city of El Progreso, has been arrested, officials said Sunday.Martinez was taken to prison Saturday night by a judge with national jurisdiction on the charge of murdering the magistrate last Wednesday.
The accused was handed over to the courts in San Pedro Sula, 27 kilometers (17 miles) west of El Progreso, a few hours after being captured in the city where the crime was committed.
The judge overseeing the case ordered Martinez to be held in the San Pedro Sula penitentiary, officials added.
Martinez was captured Saturday during a raid in a neighborhood in El Progreso after authorities identified him on a security camera video that recorded the murder of Mendoza, 42.
According to the court report, the security video shows the moment when men on two motorcycles approached the vehicle the judge was driving and one of them, apparently Martinez, opened fire on her.
Mendoza’s vehicle was hit by more than 20 bullets, according to photos published by local media.
Mendoza is the 64th attorney or judge to be murdered in Honduras during the administration of Porfirio Lobo, who took office on Jan. 27, 2010, according to the country’s state-run Human Rights Commission.
Honduras is experiencing a crime wave that results in an average of 20 deaths per day, according to human rights organizations.
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