The real events surrounding the assassination of Luis Colosio
have been fictionalized to depict this tragic moment in Mexico's history.
MARIO ABURTO MARTÍNEZ ALLEGED SHOOTER
In depositions subsequent to the March 23 interrogations,
Mario Aburto claims that he was illegally taken
to the beaches of Tijuana to be tortured that night.
My head is all mixed up.
All I know is I could hear the waves.
Confess, motherfucker! We know you killed him.
I told you, it was an accident.
Accident my ass! You killed him! You and your Eagle Knight delusions!
You won't confess to that either?
I don't know what you're talking about.
When you hear your damn mother and sister
while they're being raped, you'll remember.
No, please don't hurt my mom.
Tell me what you want me to say, I'll do it.
Just don't hurt my old lady or my sister. She's only a child.
Stop! Stop.
Stop!
Are you sure? This is a delicate issue.
Who was there, the police?
A man spoke.
He ordered them to do things to me.
It sounded like that man's voice,
the one that went to the precinct in Tijuana to see me.
They spoke to him with respect.
Is this him? Was it his voice?
I was blindfolded.
They gave me a beating. I'm not sure.
A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES
What if it's not the guy they caught?
What if the dead guy was the shooter?
The one they let go helped him.
It's very convenient for them that they look alike.
No, Diana Laura. There's only one Aburto, and he's in jail.
- But we saw the pictures... - It's biased gossip.
If it makes you feel better, I'll ask for an expert opinion
to compare the faces just to make sure.
And I'll talk to Manlio, who was there,
following everything that happened.
Let me carry the burden.
Rest assured, we'll shed light on everything.
I know. I know you're committed to this 100 percent,
and I really appreciate it,
but at this point, I don't trust anyone. I'm sorry.
But I have to let you do your work.
Ma'am...
may I tell you something?
Of course, Octavio. What is it?
Sorry, I thought I could, but never mind.
I know we're all shaken, Octavio, but please... speak up.
You're practically family.
Madam, I...
I don't know how to tell you this.
Madam, I lied to you.
The flower wreath you saw
the day he flew to Tijuana,
it was a death threat for the boss.
He asked me to get rid of it,
but I threw it in the garbage.
Do you think...
What do you mean it was a threat? Why didn't my husband tell me?
Don't get mad at him, please.
He didn't want to scare you.
Listen, with everything that happened...
I'm sorry, ma'am, I'm terrified something may happen to my family,
or to you and your children.
Please, Octavio, calm down.
I just talked to Mr. Montes. We're protected.
So are you and your family. Please, calm down.
Mr. Beltrones,
I spoke with Aburto, the alleged shooter.
He says he was taken to the beach
where they made him confess to killing Luis Donaldo.
- To the beach? - Yes.
He can't identify anyone with certainty.
Given you traveled to Tijuana, I'm worried he could point at you.
- He says he heard a voice... - Listen, Mr. Miguel.
You made me come all this way to tell me that?
You could've just called.
They're lies, a madman's nonsense.
Why would I take him to the beach? For God's sake!
Governor, sir,
maybe you went too far with him in Tijuana.
Of course not.
It was all done lawfully and with the intention to find justice.
- Luis Donaldo was like my brother. - Of course.
But his confession can be annulled
if he insists it was taken under torture.
You understand this is something I must discuss with the president.
I think it's great. Talk to the president.
He personally sent me to Tijuana on his behalf
with the explicit order of protecting the detainee's integrity
and to guarantee a lawful process.
That's exactly what I did.
Your brother already confessed and he's in jail.
You helped him.
You helped your brother Mario, didn't you?
No, I didn't do anything. I didn't help anyone.
I'm not asking, I'm telling you what you're going to say, motherfucker!
We should let him go.
Word is getting out.
He's about to break. He'll confess soon.
What the other guy said will be enough.
Let's close up this place. Let him go.
Maybe we should shut him up for good.
No.
If he appears dead somewhere, it could backfire on us.
Let him go.
What if he rats?
Who'll believe him?
They'll think he's as crazy as his brother.
They're taking him away. Over.
Alive?
He's limping a bit, but walking on his own feet. Over.
Tail them.
I have something to do.
I've found the other suspect's car.
Roger that. Over.
Donaldo asked him to get rid of the wreath.
He threw it in the trash so I wouldn't see it.
I understand your surprise,
but we have at least 20 other documented threats.
This information won't fall on deaf ears.
But your husband was a candidate for the presidency.
Candidates are threatened all the time.
Yes, but my husband is dead, and the other candidates aren't.
I promise we'll clear everything up.
Mariana is finally asleep.
Is everything okay? You seem upset.
They cornered him.
I'm sure all these threats...
Diana Laura, please don't run the risk.
Don't put yourself and your children in danger.
Precisely because of them.
I don't want them to grow up surrounded by all these lies.
I don't want them to grow up around Luis and the members of the party.
Promise you'll keep them when I die.
I promise. But I don't want you to think about that...
I have to think about it, Hilda.
I have very little time.
Right now, all I want is to see General Dionisio...
and for him to tell me if he saw anything strange,
not matter how insignificant it might seem.
BEAUTIFUL TIJUANA
Thank you for seeing me so soon, General.
It's the least I can do, madam.
I'm very ashamed about what happened.
The situation is beyond us.
That's the thing.
It shouldn't be beyond me. It was my job.
General...
I came all this way because I want to ask you something directly.
Did you know my husband was threatened?
Yes, I did, madam.
As chief of security, I was aware of some circumstances.
And you thought nothing of it?
Madam, I'm a military man.
It's my duty not to dismiss those types of events.
Why didn't they have more security in a place like Lomas Taurinas?
They were Mr. Colosio's orders.
He refused to have more security in his campaign.
- That included Lomas Taurinas. - And you just went along with it?
Madam, with all due respect,
I also have to obey my superiors' orders.
What happened is something I'll have to live with for the rest of my life.
Tell me the truth, will you?
Do you have any idea who could've threatened him?
No, no, madam. At least not with certainty.
It could've been anyone.
The way they did it, it could have been a cartel.
That's how they make threats.
Let's hope they didn't kill this guy.
José Luis?
José Luis Aburto?
Hey, buddy.
Buddy.
Don't kill me. Don't kill me.
Hey...
no one's killing anyone.
We're cops...
good ones.
Come on.
Stand there.
Here.
Are you okay?
Here, take a sip.
Are you hungry? Eat.
José Luis!
Son, my darling!
My darling son!
Just look at you, my darling son!
Thank you, gentlemen! Thank you so much.
Go and finish your dinner.
Come, son.
We'll leave so you can rest. Mother...
Do you think the family will talk to us at some point?
I don't know. They're terrified.
Their lives are in danger. So are yours.
That's exactly why, Mother.
If they give us their statements, we can help them.
- In turn, they'd be helping Mario. - Give them some time.
Let this pass and you might gain their trust.
- I don't want to pressure them. - Sure. See you.
Thank you for not alarming her, General.
Diana Laura is very nervous,
but no matter how much Luis Donaldo insisted,
don't tell me no measures were taken, General.
He did have security, sir. The local party's office hired it.
- Who did they call? - The Tucanes.
A group of ex-policemen, federal cops.
Mr. Riva Palacio? Tranquilino and his people?
That's right, among many others.
Mr. Attorney General, we will land in Tijuana within the next 15 minutes.
Mrs. Yolanda, how are you?
Have a seat.
You asked to see me.
I have something to give you.
But promise you won't say who gave it to you.
Of course.
Put it away. Put it away.
I don't trust the federal cops,
but you've been straight with me from the beginning.
So this is for you.
Where did you find it? At Lomas Taurinas?
Yes.
A neighbor found it where he was shot.
Please solve this.
Do everything you have to so our candidate's soul
may rest in peace.
Of course.
Mrs. Yolanda, you're right. You shouldn't trust anyone.
Wasn't that Yolanda Salazar?
The one and only.
What the fuck did she want?
To give us the evidence that proves our second shooter theory.
No kidding!
You know what we're going to do?
An operation against the tactical group.
We'll comb the area. I'm sure there's more evidence.
No, let's go alone. Take a couple of guys and see what they say.
We'll take it from there.
An operation would be too messy.
Yes...
and it would show that they have to take us seriously.
Sometimes our ways do work, Rubí. Sometimes.
Hey, I went to see you to prevent this.
Calm down, Yolanda. I made a promise and I'll keep it.
I never said I wouldn't comb the area.
You said you wouldn't betray me. Don't mess with my people.
Take them in for interrogation!
What's going on, Commander Benítez? What are you doing here?
A routine operation, López Riestra. I thought you knew what they are.
If you play with fire, you may get burned.
This is federal jurisdiction.
Yes, I know, but for your case, not for mine.
It's not my fault that your case and mine
happened almost at the same time and place.
Are you playing tough guy? I can take this case from you, too.
I know.
But I doubt you'll want an ordinary case when you have the Colosio case, right?
Why don't we let the deputy attorney general decide?
You'll give him everything right now.
Why the hell are you doing this, man?
To screw you.
What a stupid question.
The municipal cop will give you all his case files. They might be useful.
Meanwhile, I'll try to clean up this damn mess.
This corpse turned up a few hours after Mr. Colosio's attack.
Here's a copy of the report.
At first sight, it looks like cartel payback.
Exactly exactly how did you participate at the rally?
Is this an official interrogation?
I'd say it's small talk between colleagues, rather.
I have a duty to our country...
to the president,
but especially...
to the candidate's widow and family.
Do you understand?
Come on, Commander.
You and I want the same thing.
You may have some pieces that I'm missing.
- And vice versa. - Very probable, sir.
The thing is, I have no guarantee the exchange of information will be reciprocal.
You know everything is fishy around here.
I understand, Commander.
And I'm willing to cooperate with you.
But you'll just have to take your chances.
Our participation...
in organizing security for the rally was null.
They forbade us.
We were also kicked out of the interrogations,
in which, by the way, I could point out many irregularities.
For example, Aburto wasn't in his right mind at his deposition
and he didn't arrive here like that.
I arrested a guy walking away from the crime scene myself,
wearing a bloody jacket.
He didn't spend one day in jail.
He was released by orders from the top.
There's no record of him.
Then they said this was a federal case
and assigned us to the corpse at the auto shop.
The one that's in your hands.
For an isolated case, you did such an extensive search?
Come on, Commander!
I'm not stupid.
This case isn't a drug case, is it?
We don't know.
It may not be just a drug case.
What I mean is at first sight it seems like payback from a cartel,
but deep down there's much more...
such as the rally propaganda we found,
a lot of money, which eliminates mugging as a motive.
And most importantly...
Their close resemblance.
Look, sir, I haven't been in this position very long, but I'm no idiot.
We saw fishy business.
That rally...
was full of ex-cops and feds whom I wouldn't trust for a second.
People from your party and federal cops came to make it very clear
that we'd only take care of moving him. Why?
What people?
Deputy Delegate López Riestra...
and General Dionisio Garcés.
Have you spoken with the general?
Then I must assume...
that the version of multiple Aburtos came from you?
Anyone with half a brain who reads the file would see that.
They look like triplets.
Let's do this...
Don't leak any more information,
continue with this case,
and I promise I'll keep you in the loop
about anything that could be useful to us both.
Meanwhile, I'll take this copy. Is that okay with you?
Thanks, Commander.
What?
I told you we should've gone quietly and not made a fuss.
I told you sometimes our ways work.
At least now López Riestra knows we're not afraid of him.
- But he's screwing us with this. - That's what he thinks.
What he did was bring someone who can help us.
- Mr. Montes? - Exactly.
That asshole is a hotshot. He doesn't even look down.
Did you really give him everything we have?
If he finds out we kept things from him, he'll screw us.
He's the deputy attorney general, not some asshole.
I'm not an asshole either, Rubí. I'm a lawyer, too.
This Montes guy seems trustworthy, yes.
But I'm well aware he has to report to someone at the top.
I know what I'm doing.
Let's see what he gives us.
We'll give him information bit by bit.
And if he earns our trust, great.
If he doesn't, we blow him off and keep going.
All right?
The candidate started to walk among the people,
apparently without security, or so he thought.
But in reality, he was surrounded by private security, experts in crowds.
In front of him, Secret Service Colonel Valente Renteria.
Up until there, everything seems to be in order.
But look...
Rodolfo Mayoral is to the right of him.
And behind Colosio is Vicente Mayoral, Rodolfo's father,
who was detained the same day as the shooting
only to be released hours later.
Both members of the Tucanes group.
This is what's noteworthy.
The two Mayorals are leading Luis Donaldo towards Aburto.
And when he's close to him,
Tranquilino Sánchez appears,
another member of the Tucanes.
Tranquilino gets slightly in front
of General Dionisio Garcés.
He's in the way,
keeping him from approaching the candidate to protect him.
In this intentional scenario
and with Luis Donaldo practically surrounded
by people hired by Rodolfo Riva Palacio,
Tranquilino lifts his arm,
allowing Aburto to lean the weapon on him.
And he shoots.
Thus executing a prearranged action.
But there was only one weapon, right?
One weapon, one alleged perpetrator, the one that's locked up in jail.
No three Aburtos or anything like that, which is giving me a headache.
With this, the three Aburtos theory is discarded.
The accused, Mario Aburto, did receive help,
but from the Mayorals, Tranquilino Sánchez,
and members of the Tucanes...
all Riva Palacio's men.
Now all we need to know is who planned everything.
Look, Montes...
you're the expert.
As long as this doesn't become a bottomless pit
and we can find a resolution
that leaves us all satisfied.
You can make this theory public.
Thank you, Mr. President, for giving me your trust.
I'll give the go-ahead to issue the arrest warrants.
With this,
we will clarify a lot of things and we'll all be much calmer.
Excuse me.
Mr. President.
Friends of the press and the media,
I have gathered you here to let you know the result
of the new investigations on the Colosio case.
Vicente Mayoral? Rodolfo Mayoral? Please come with us.
After a thorough analysis
of the footage presented as key evidence
in the case we are investigating,
we have concluded
that a prearranged action took place
to put an end to Mr. Colosio's life.
Mr. Tranquilino Sánchez, please come with us.
Soon, we will let you know
the names of the detainees
who are now ready to give their testimony.
Sir, then this discards the multiple Aburtos theory?
That was never a theory considered by this office.
Now, if you don't mind,
we will soon inform you of the status of the investigation.
- Thank you. - Sir, please...
Sir...
They tied up my hands.
I...
I was blindfolded.
They kicked me in my stomach.
They told me things I frankly didn't understand,
like to say that I was an Eagle Knight.
When I asked for water, they gave me mezcal.
They kept me drunk all day.
After that, a man came.
I didn't see him, I only heard his voice,
but he said they had to...
to get rid of me.
That's when I thought, "This is it."
But then, they put me in a car and I don't remember anything else.
About what you said concerning the Eagle Knight...
Do you recognize this?
These are Mario's pictures.
How did you get ahold of them? They were at our house.
Someone sent them to our office and said that they were Mario's.
Yes, the pictures.
But this isn't my brother's handwriting.
Those drawings are ugly. He draws better.
Mr. Benítez...
what's that about an Eagle Knight?
Mario told me, too.
No, Mom, that's not true. It's crazy talk. Mario isn't crazy.
That's a lie, isn't it?
Son, who can assure that your brother is alive?
She hasn't seen her son since they took him in Tijuana.
Frankly, I don't think she'll ever see him without your help.
Consider it a humanitarian gesture.
There are no humanitarian gestures right now.
We're talking about a confessed assassin.
I'm talking about his mother, sir.
She only wants to know if it's him and that he's all right.
- Make sure it's her son? - I don't blame her.
When he was at the precinct, they took her to another detainee.
Now she's heard about the multiple Aburtos.
All right...
tell her I'll set it up so she can come and see him,
but on one condition.
She must sign a statement assuring her son is the one in jail
and put an end to that multiple Aburtos story.
Don't ask me to tell her that.
I understand that you want to quiet rumors about the different Aburtos.
I need that nonsense and foolishness
to be discredited once and for all.
You can't imagine the damage that's done to this investigation.
Either she commits to that, or she won't see him.
Mario Aburto Martínez, you have visitors!
They left this for you.
Don't say anything stupid, huh?
Like I said,
behave yourself.