After almost two years in prison, former prosecutor Jesús Murillo Karam will be able to continue the criminal process he faces from his home, after a federal judge granted him a definitive suspension following a request for protection and issued precautionary measures.
Murillo Karam, who faces charges for his alleged participation in crimes of torture against an alleged criminal related to the disappearance of the 43 Ayotzinapa normal students in 2014, will continue in preventive detention from his home and under precautionary measures demanded by the Attorney General’s Office. Republic (FGR).
On April 4, the First Collegiate Court in Criminal Matters of the CdMx granted the definitive suspension to Jesús Murillo Karam, who together with his lawyers promoted an appeal for review to be able to carry out the criminal process in his home.
A week later, until this Friday, April 12, the hearing was held in the South Prison to finalize the details under which the former prosecutor leaves the Medical Tower of the Tepepan prison in Xochimilco, where he was kept under medical surveillance, and leaves for to his home located in Lomas de Chapultepec.
During the hearing, the control judge, Juan José Hernández Leyva, imposed seven security measures against Murillo Karam, including surveillance of the former official’s home, the prohibition to communicate with the alleged victim of torture and witnesses in the case, as well as avoid leaving the country. To do this, they asked him to hand over his passport to the justice center and an immigration alert was issued at airports, borders and naval ports.
Although the FGR had required 15 security measures, including the imposition of an electronic bracelet, the judge considered them excessive and only imposed seven.
The request to conduct the criminal process from his home was initially denied, which led the defense to file an amparo trial to obtain the suspension of the determination and serve preventive detention at his home.
The arguments offered to grant the definitive suspension state that the accused suffers from a serious illness, in addition to being over 75 years of age, which is contemplated as an exception in article 166 of the National Code of Criminal Procedures.
Likewise, it was considered that the modification of the precautionary measure does not imply the release of Murillo Karam, but rather a change in the place of his detention. In addition to this, the determination emphasizes that Murillo Karam demonstrated his willingness to collaborate with justice by allowing the execution of the arrest warrant, despite having the opportunity to evade it.
The 76-year-old former official has been transferred to the National Institute of Cardiology on multiple occasions for medical studies, and according to information shared by his lawyers, the results showed that he has an obstructed carotid artery, which puts him at risk of a brain clot. Murillo Karam also suffers from hypertension and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
According to the criminal case he faces, the former attorney participated in alleged acts of torture committed against Felipe Rodríguez Salgado, El Cepillo, an alleged member of Guerreros Unidos, a group linked to the disappearance of the 43 Ayotzinapa normalistas.
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The FGR accusation says that Murillo Karam authorized acts of torture in the facilities under his charge, and the file contains medical reports that indicated 31 injuries on El Cepillo’s body at the time of his arrest.
In November 2023, a judge granted Murillo house arrest in regards to accusations of forced disappearance and crimes against the administration of justice; However, the former head of the former Attorney General’s Office remained in prison for the torture investigation.