Marlon Botas receives 70‑year prison sentence for Veracruz femicide

Marlon Botas Fuentes was sentenced to 70 years in prison for the femicide of 20‑year‑old Monse Bendime in Veracruz, Mexico. The hearing on 16 July was attended by about 15 people; Botas, who watched from a prison cell, showed nervous gestures as the judge announced the penalty.

The victim was assaulted on 17 April 2021 in the Casas Tamsa subdivision of Boca del Río and died on 23 April after several days of hospitalization. Botas, who fled for more than a year, surrendered in June 2022. The case attracted widespread attention, partly because his father, Jorge Botas, was filmed smiling during a police raid on the family home in April 2021, sparking public outrage.