Colombian influencer's slaying similar to Mexican influencer’s livestreamed murder
'It could be an alleged femicide, since she filed several complaints for domestic violence'
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A Colombian influencer has been killed days after an influencer in Mexico was shot to death, and the parallels are eerie.
Maria Jose Estupinan, 22, was fatally shot at her home in Cucuta, near the border of Venezuela, on May 15, CNN reported.
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The university student opened the door and was shot by a suspect disguised as a delivery man, Magda Victoria Acosta, president of the National Gender Commission of the Colombian Judiciary, said in a press conference.
Estupinan was shot multiple times, local news outlet Noticias Caracol reported, while security footage captured a man fleeing as the influencer’s screams could be heard.
She reportedly did of her injuries in hospital.
“According to what we have been able to verify, he indeed made some threats and there were complaints against him,” Col. William Quintero, commander of the Metropolitan Police of Cucuta, told local media, per CNN.
“We are taking all urgent actions to establish what happened and bring those responsible for this act to justice.”
Col. Leonardo Capacho, commander of District One of the Cúcuta Metropolitan Police, said in a statement to Noticias Caracol that the suspect could be Estupinan’s ex-partner, whom she previously reported for domestic violence.
“It could be an alleged femicide, since she filed several complaints for domestic violence in previous years, but that is a matter of investigation,” he detailed.
Estupinan was set to receive a reward of 30 million pesos (C$2,169,000) after winning a domestic violence case against her ex the day before.
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Alejandra Vera, director of Mujer Denuncia y Muévete, a women’s rights organization, told the outlet that the victim’s ex “stalked her and abused her, and she reported it to the authorities.”
She filed a complaint, asked for help, and “requested full protection and security” so she could “enjoy a life free of violence,” Vera added.
“The Colombian state has failed this young woman.”
Estupinan’s death comes days after Valeria Marquez, a 23-year-old beauty influencer, was fatally shot while livestreaming from her salon in Jalisco, Mexico, on May 13.
Marquez appeared to have been speaking to a delivery man off camera during the livestream when she was shot once in the chest and once in the head and collapsed.
State authorities said they were investigating Marquez’s death as a possible femicide, an extreme case of gender-based violence common in Latin America where a woman is attacked due to her gender.
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